Dragon Ball Immortality
by Mistress 535
Summary: In a world of Gods, Demons, and extraordinary humans, a girl must realize her destiny. AU/Timeline OCxPiccolo. Epic length. Rated M for language, violence, and adult content.
1. New Beginnings

Disclaimer

Dragon Ball Z © 1999 BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA/TOEI ANIMATION/FUNimation/Akira Toriyama. No copyright infringement is intended, or should be inferred. All original characters belong to me, but that is all I'm laying claim to.

1/25/2011: Doing a massive edit on ALL chapters for some noted typos, spelling errors, and other things. Not much in the way of content changes, maybe some re-wording, but that's all. I am just not happy finding errors, but I am a little OCD and correct my published books, so . . . Yeah.

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"Tholi...?"

"Yes?" Tholi asked, watching the young woman tie the drawstrings of her pants.

"Nothing. I was just thinking," she said softly, tucking the smooth black silk of the sleeveless gi into her pants.

"Here, let me fix your hair. You do not want it flying in your face in the middle of the match, "the girl turned and looked at her soberly, Tholi gave her a gentle smile, wondering what had happened to the vibrant young woman she remembered.

_She used to be so full of life, now she only lives for the tournaments. Something has to be done. I hope that Solaria will give me a sign_, Tholi thought. _Surely the goddess will tell me what to do, she did before when she allowed- Well, there is no reason dwelling in the past._

Tholi pulled her long hair back and secured it in a high ponytail, the ends still falling to her waist.

"There, that is done," Tholi said noticing her eyes were closed and she was bouncing her leg in nervous agitation, "What is wrong?"

"Nervous," she replied, opening her eyes and staring at the ground.

"About what?"

"Don't know. I just have that feeling again," she answered getting up and crossing her arms.

Standing, the girl was as tall as Tholi, and she would only get taller. Tholi studied her face and saw something she knew. Maybe...

"Did you have another dream?"

She only nodded and Tholi decided she would have to prod her for the answer she wanted.

"What did you see?"

She had just opened her mouth when a worker poked his head inside the tent, "Miss Sensono, it's time for your match."

"Watch yourself, and do not get distracted by anything," Tholi said as the girl walked out.

She turned around and gave her a feeble smile; it was more than she felt like doing, but she knew Tholi was worried about her. Following the man past rows of tents, she saw many of them were in the process of being taken down. Walking through the contestant entrance of the stadium, she heard the announcer beginning to work the crowd.

"And now, the Three Time World Champion of the Women's World Martial Arts Tournament . . . NO-ZO-MI SEN-SO-NOOO!" The crowd rose to its feet as she headed for the ring, which was no more than a large square of hard packed earth marked off with chalk.

She made her way to the center and looked at the crowd casually, waiting for the official. Nozomi studied her opponent as the announcer went over the statistics for the both of them. The woman was Nozomi's height, but of better build than her. The pitiful excuse of a "trainer" that her parents had sent her to kept her on the verge of starvation supposedly to keep her from developing too much muscle mass, and to keep her under control, among other things. The woman was wearing a blue tank top and matching silk shorts that contrasted against her medium length orange hair. She glared at Nozomi with large black eyes, and Nozomi merely stared blankly back at her.

The official raised his hand and the crowd grew quiet. As his hand dropped, the orange-headed woman leaped at Nozomi, throwing a punch at her face. She easily blocked it and punched her in the stomach, turning around to face the woman again. Instead, she fell and laid there a moment, getting her wind back. Nozomi let her, as it was only fair. It would be a hollow victory if she hit her while she was down. This wasn't war; it was a game, at least to her.

Something caught her eye and she turned her head for a second. She looked into the crowd and noticed a man standing there, he had caught her attention, for no reason other than he was tall, green, and was wearing a cape and turban. Her eyes opened wide as she thought she recognized him, but the next thing she knew she was holding her own stomach. In the split second she had been distracted, the other woman had taken the opportunity and punched her. Before Nozomi could retaliate, she was kicked to the ground. Pushing up to her hands and knees, she trying to get her senses back in order when she was kicked in the stomach and knocked onto her back.

She opened her eyes just in time to catch a foot a centimeter away from her face. Pushing the woman back a few feet, she quickly got up as a rush of adrenaline coursed through her body. She had still most of what little energy she had, and was cursing herself for letting her opponent get any hits in at all.

The woman rushed Nozomi again, and all she could do was block and wait for an opening. When she did find one, she couldn't get in a solid hit while she herself was being pummeled. Her right eye was already swollen shut and her lip and nose were bleeding down her face, but even so, she wasn't going to give up until she was knocked unconscious or killed, whichever came first.

Finally, with almost all of her energy spent, she rushed the woman in a last ditch move that no one in their right mind would have tried. Nozomi feigned a punch and flipped deftly over the woman's head as she blocked what would never come, and landed behind her facing her back. As the woman turned around, she reached back and punched her as hard as she could in her face, knocking her out cold.

"The championship goes to Nozomi Sensono, now the Four Time World Champion of the Women's Worldwide Martial Arts Tournament!" the announcer yelled over the deafening crowd. She followed the official to the judges' stand and got her check. Four million zenni, the highest purse she had received. She remembered the man she had seen and anger turned her blood cold. It quickly left as she saw two of the temple girls coming toward her to lead her back to the tent.

xx

"Ouch!" Nozomi said as one of the girls opened her swollen eye and flushed it out with salt water. The girl glanced at her, but said nothing, Nozomi wasn't inviting any conversation and her cry had broken the tense silence. The girl left and Nozomi rested her sore face in her equally sore hands as Tholi walked in.

"What did I tell you?" the woman asked sternly, hands on her hips, "You were doing well until you got distracted."

"Yeah."

"Well, what was it?"

"Nothing."

"That could have cost you a lot more than the championship," Tholi scolded harshly, looking at Nozomi's beaten face.

"I know."

"You never take your eyes off your opponent."

"I know that Tholi," Nozomi said quietly. She was getting angry with the woman for the first time in her life.

"If you were not so thin, you could have taken those blows."

"I can't help being skinny."

"If you would eat more..."

"It's hard to do that when you're only allowed to eat once a day! Don't you think I know that I'm too thin?" Nozomi yelled, and flinched as though she'd been hit, "I'm sorry Tholi. I didn't mean to shout."

"Look, I want you to stay in here and replay that fight and identify all of your mistakes. Because that was the worst match I have ever seen," Tholi ordered. She then turned and left the tent.

The sun beat down on a tall, cross looking figure standing outside the tent. Several of the temple girls were standing in a group near him, unsure of what to do. Tholi saw him and walked over, stopping to tell the girls not to bother Nozomi. They filed into their section of the tent, and Tholi turned back to him, bowing in greeting.

"I really do not know what happened today, she really is a much better fighter than that," she tried to explain. The figure remained silent, studying the woman, "The reason I asked you here is to see if you would be interested in training her for the next Tournament. Of course, you will be paid very well and I will provide you with a place to stay and train her. I would train her myself, but I have my duties and the Temple to look after. She is very undisciplined I'm afraid, but if she is not trained properly, she'll never reach her de- never reach her full potential. Please take the offer," Tholi explained, almost pleading.

"Fine, but forget the money, I have no use for it," she heard him say; he himself was shocked at his answer.

"Thank you, I'll give you directions to where you'll be staying. I'll have Nozomi there by Friday," Tholi said," Hold on one minute and I'll get those directions, Mister...?"

"Piccolo, just Piccolo," he said.

Tholi looked at him a moment, then went back into the tent for a pen and paper.


	2. First Sight

A few stray hairs fell from Nozomi's loose bun and blew into her face as she picked the first ripe blackberries from the large garden at the rear of the house. She absentmindedly tucked her hair behind her ear and continued picking, humming. She thought she felt a high ki level nearby and dismissed it; her ability to perceive levels of ki was erratic as of late, she figured it was just part of her adjustment to a new environment. The basket at her waist was almost full. _Not too bad for it being so early_, she thought, reaching carefully past the thorns to some berries near the middle.

She suddenly felt light headed as an image flashed into the back of her mind. It was so horrifying that she gasped and jerked her arm toward her, the thorns catching and tearing her flesh. The sudden pain drove the image out of her mind, and she cursed softly as she extracted a few errant thorns from her arm, the blood smearing on her golden brown skin.

"Damn it!" she growled, looking into her basket, _It's almost full, good enough for tonight and tomorrow morning._

She walked through the back door and set the basket on the table. Looking around, she studied the large kitchen, noting certain things that had once been in the temple's kitchen. "No sense letting it gather dust," Tholi had told her when she mentioned. It was too much: the big, white farmhouse, already furnished with comfortable furniture; the linens; the beautiful artwork, and all the extra bedrooms. She put a kettle of water on and leaned against a cabinet, a smile of contentment on her face. Deciding to wash the berries, she got down the colander.

She looked out the window to the forest about a hundred yards away that surrounded the house on all sides, the driveway separating it to the road. The house lay in a large, natural meadow, a spa-sized hot spring in the middle of the rear yard, a natural abnormality that was out of place in this area. The area around the house was mostly woods, then dropping off to a vast plain ten miles to the west. There was a lake a mile from the house, the same lake that was twenty miles away from the temple, and a river ran from it to the plains. The property extended from the eastern shore of the lake to the base of the mountains that touched the far western edge of the plains. A small part of the vast area of land that the temple owned. Now it was hers, along with the house, a gift from Tholi and the others.

Her attention back on the berries, she poured them onto a dishtowel to dry. She dried her hands on another towel and looked through the fridge. Not finding anything she wanted, she walked back outside onto the front porch. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of good, clean air. Now, she felt calm, serene, and secure, but when her new trainer arrived what then? She knew the outcome all to well, the house would loose its security and she would only find solace in her dreams, the only part of her psyche that was impervious to the pain that reality caused. She could handle the physical pain; she was well beyond that. The emotional aftermath was harder to cope with. It was, at times, unbearable, the thin lines between her sanity and madness blurred as the negative energy in her strove for release.

Her thoughts were interrupted by voices from the backyard. Curious, she crept to the side of the house, and pressing herself against the wall, she listened to the conversation.

"I want to thank you for accepting my offer. I promise you that you will not be sorry. She is an excellent fighter, and a quick learner. She should not be much trouble, but she is a bit stubborn sometimes. Still, I think you'll be able to handle her," Tholi rambled; Nozomi noticed she was obviously nervous. It unnerved her.

"Nozomi, come out here," she heard Tholi yell. She sighed sadly and walked around the edge of the house, staring at the ground. "Oh, here she is now. Nozomi, this is your trainer, Mr. Piccolo."

"Piccolo, just Piccolo," he said. His voice was gruff and deep, quite nice actually.

She began studying him from the ground up: odd brown shoes; purple pants; blue sash; purple shirt, okay purple gi; green skin; black eyes; pointed ears; turb…. _Wait a minute, green skin, pointed ears? What is this guy, some kind of green elf?_ She looked him up and down again an eyebrow raised in curiosity, the connection not yet made. He was studying her with equal intensity, though he was less obvious about it: long, slightly wavy, white hair; cat-like, intense blue eyes; pretty face; a little too skinny; definitely female.

Tholi watched the silent exchange with interest. Maybe this was the one she had been looking for. "Well, I've got to get back to the temple and make sure everything's all right," she said, thinking they weren't paying attention to her.

"Okay Tholi be careful," Nozomi said, turning and giving her a sad look. After she left, Nozomi turned back to the man in front of her, "Umm, do you have any bags?"

"No."

"Okay, let me show you to your room," she said, walking into the house, Piccolo following behind her.

After showing him his quarters, she left to let him settle in and went to the kitchen to fix dinner. As she cooked, she thought about Piccolo.

_I wonder where he's from; I mean he's obviously not from around here. Probably not even from this planet_, she smiled to herself. _I wonder why Tholi picked him to train me and not someone else. Well, there must be a reason. Tholi never does anything on impulse. _

Maybe she'd find out why one day. He was somewhat cute in a way, ruggedly handsome actually.

_Hold on girl, you don't know anything about him_, her mind scolded. She sighed and continued cooking, wondering if he liked pasta.

xx

Dinner was perfect, she had spent nearly two hours on it, making everything from scratch, cooked to perfection, delicately seasoned, and beautifully presented.

She ended up eating it by herself.

When it the food was cooked, she had gone to tell Piccolo, and at first, he had ignored her. It wasn't until she had gotten in his face and yelled that he even seemed to notice she was there. He had slowly opened his eyes and glared at her.

"I'm not hungry," was his only response. The tone he used was enough to keep her from bothering him the rest of that night.

Still, the food was excellent, and as if to prove it to herself, she had eaten all of it. That fact had shocked her, because she had fixed enough for six people, and she usually ate very little. _At this rate_, she thought solemnly, _I'm going to be huge by the next tournament._

She finished putting up the dishes and headed up the stairs for bed, with one last glance at Piccolo meditating in the living room. Where had she seen him before?


	3. Pick Yourself Up and Try Again

Thanks so much to Roguefury for the reviews!

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Nozomi woke up and sat bolt upright, getting slightly dizzy. She remembered! He was the one who had distracted her! _But why, I mean, yeah he's different, but not enough to keep me thinking about it like this_, she thought, looking at the pattern on her comforter, _He was in my dream! But now I don't know what it was about._

She shrugged and got up, noticing the sun was just beginning to rise. Time to stretch and then fix breakfast. She got out of bed and went to her dresser, getting out the gi she wanted to wear. It was a deep blue, and accented her hair and skin nicely if she thought so herself. She slid it on, shivering at the feel of the clean, cool cotton on her skin. She found her red sash and tied it around her waist, realizing she could wrap it around three times. Stretching her back as she reached under her bed, she pulled out her shoes and arched her back as she stood up. The house was completely silent as she padded to the bathroom to wash up, and she wondered vaguely if Piccolo was awake yet.

After she washed her face and brushed her teeth, she went downstairs and noticed that Piccolo was in the same spot as he was the night before, apparently still asleep. She raised an eyebrow and snuck quietly past the living room entrance, and went outside onto the porch. She inhaled the moist morning air into her lungs and slid on her shoes, ready to get started. Her arms were stretched over her head when Piccolo came outside, letting the screen door slam behind him. Nozomi jumped and spun around, her eyes wide. He looked at her and crossed his arms, without any hint at a greeting. She stared at him a moment and then went back to stretching.

"Do you want anything for breakfast?" she asked, bending down stretching her hamstrings.

He didn't answer her and she looked at him upside down, framed between her knees, wondering why he wasn't answering her.

"Are you almost done?" he asked, seemingly annoyed.

"Yeah, but then I'm going to have some breakfast. Do you want anything?" she repeated.

"I heard you the first time," he said, his eye twitching.

"Okay, I'll take that as a no," she said, walking towards the house.

"You have five minutes," he growled as she walked by.

"Five minutes! That's not long enough to-" she began.

"That's plenty of time," he said, "When you're not eating or sleeping, you'll be sparring, so get over it."

Her jaw dropped, and she took a deep breath, "What about bathing? I have to bathe you know! You do, don't you?"

"Fine," he barked, feeling her eyes boring into the back of his head, "All your free time will be spent sparring, is that better?"

"Jeez, you don't have to be so rude," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You have three minutes," he said, looking at her over his shoulder.

"Fine, three minutes," she mocked, walking into the house.

He watched her go back inside and silently wondered why in hell he had agreed to this anyway. After all, it wasn't as if she had any extraordinary abilities. She could take a lot of punishment, he had seen that, and she made some gutsy moves, but other than that, he hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary. He looked up at the sky with an angry sigh.

At least Gohan didn't back talk.

x

Nozomi was shoving the blackberries into her mouth, looking around for something else that she could inhale.

_Three minutes! Who in hell did he think he was? Stubborn asshole! I'm not a damn machine, how am I supposed to go all day sparring? Who in hell sparred all day anyway? I have other things to do; a house to clean, laundry to do, and-_ She blinked, she really didn't have much to do after all.

She found a bunch of bananas and peeled one, still chewing the mouthful of berries. Swallowing, she crammed the whole banana in and swallowed it, grabbing the gallon of milk from the fridge as tears formed in her eyes from the mass of banana getting hung halfway down. She gulped down some and then took a breath. It felt like one good hit to the stomach and she would hurl.

_That would be just great. Then I'll be queasy for the rest of the day. _

She found some cold chamomile tea and took a few sips of it, hoping it would work some kind of miracle. Going back outside, she looked around, and saw him sitting under the large oak tree. No, he wasn't sitting; he was floating cross-legged, apparently meditating. She wondered how he was doing it, not really shocked. He opened his eyes and saw her watching him, and put his feet on the ground.

"That was four minutes," he said.

"Sorry," she said, shrugging.

"Are you ready," he asked, uncrossing his arms.

"I guess so," she said, and he disappeared, "Huh?"

She felt someone punch her in the stomach and she went flying about twenty feet, landing and rolling another five. She got up and coughed, and saw Piccolo standing where she had just stood.

"You're slow," he said.

"You didn't bow in," she said incredulously, getting up.

He disappeared again and she was kicked back to where she had started.

"In a real fight, you don't 'bow in'," he said, watching her pick herself back up.

"I'm a martial artist, not a street punk," she coughed, rubbing her side, anger flashing in her eyes.

"That doesn't make any difference, you're still too slow," he snapped.

"Well, I won't get any faster if you keep kicking the shit out of me!" she yelled.

"If you can't see me, feel where I am," he said, disappearing again.

She turned and jumped back a second too late, and was knocked down again, "You're still too fast."

"Quit complaining!" he yelled.

"I'm not trying to," she said, getting up and brushing off her gi, "I'm just asking you to move a little slower."

He disappeared again and she waited, her eyes closing. She felt him behind her and turned, but was knocked face first into the dirt, her lip splitting. She picked herself up and wiped it on her arm, creating a large smear. He was shocked that she could sense him at all; maybe he was wrong about her. She spit and glared at him, her lip dripping onto her gi.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked.

He smirked and disappeared again.

xx

They sparred for the next hour; or rather, Piccolo knocked her around the yard until she had trouble getting up. She had to quit when she pushed herself up and had to grab her side, pain shooting through her body. With a deft touch, she realized her ribs were definitely cracked.

"Can you help me up?" she asked, looking at Piccolo with the eye that wasn't swollen shut.

He just crossed his arms and looked at her.

"I don't have the energy to heal myself right now, so can you please help me get up?" she asked again, ignoring the pain that ripped through her side.

"Heal yourself? What do you mean?" he asked, raising a brow.

"As much as I am enjoying this little chat, my ribs are broken. So if you don't help me up, I'll have to crawl into the house," she gasped, hoping he would help her.

He huffed and walked over, and held out his hand. She took it and he pulled her up roughly, and she almost fell down again at the pain it caused.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically, hobbling towards the door.


	4. Half an Hour 'Till Meltdown

Nozomi's breath hissed through her teeth as she climbed the stairs. She had forgotten how bad it hurt to be, well, seriously hurt. Everything else would heal on its own by tomorrow evening, so she didn't worry about it, but a broken rib could pierce a lung if she didn't heal it now. It was going to wipe her out until after lunch. She wondered how Mister Beat-the-shit-out-of-you-because-he-could was going to take it. She groaned and steadied herself against the entry table, trying to block out the pain.

She managed to make it to the kitchen and began running some water in the sink. Focusing on the white noise it created, she let her eyes slip out of focus, concentrating on creating a ball of golden, healing light in her hand. She could feel it, and pressed it to her side, feeling the bone knit back together. It was a very crawly feeling, not as bad as healing a big gash, but still crawly. By the time she took her hand away, she was cold and clammy, and she sank into the floor, drained.

Piccolo watched her, his brows rising when he saw the golden ball of energy form in her hand. He watched her sink down, her breathing steady and shallow, and thought she was asleep. He studied her face, noticing she looked younger than he had guessed. She was probably only a teenager. He cleared his throat to see if it would wake her up, but she continued to sit there, her forehead resting against the cabinet. He did it again, louder, and she frowned.

"I'm awake, just give me a minute," she said, her eye sliding open just a fraction.

"And what was that supposed to be?" he asked.

"Never seen anyone use their ki?" she asked, a smile playing at her torn lips, "Could you turn off the faucet?"

He stayed where he was and she sighed, pulling herself to her feet, her legs shaking. She turned it off and leaned against the sink.

"Everyone at the Temple can do it. They simply manipulate the energy around them and insi-" she began.

"I know how it's done," he said, adding this to what he had already figured out.

"I can't do anything until lunch," she said, her eyes closing and her voice starting to slur, "And I won't have the energy to spar until tomorrow."

"That's not good enough," he barked.

"Tough, that's how it is," she said, swallowing hard and frowning, "I'm not exactly fit enough to draw enough energy from my surroundings. Therefore, until lunch, I have to rest. If you want me to spar all day, you'll have to take it a bit easier. I don't know who you're used to training with, but I'm obviously not as strong as them, and I'm sure you've realized that."

"Fine," he replied, "for now."

She looked at him and raised the eyebrow of her good eye, "What is your deal? You're hateful."

He glared at her and she felt guilty, "Sorry, I 'm probably not one to talk. Are you sure you don't want something to eat, you didn't-"

"I said no," he growled, and turned to leave.

"All right, if you change your -" she started to say.

"I won't," he said, and walked out of the room, leaving her leaning against the sink.

_Weird_, she thought, and looked down at her gi, dark spots of blood staining it. _Damn it, I liked this one too. Better go and lay down, looks like if I have any energy I'll be sparring at lunch. _

She pushed herself up and wobbled before she got her bearings. It took her five minutes to reach the living room, and she sat down on the plush couch, closing her eye and licking her lips. Her bottom lip stung where it had split, but it wasn't bad. She opened her eye and stared at the ceiling, trying to find familiar shapes in the peaks and valleys of its textured surface.

_It feels good to be full and tired_, she thought when she realized she hadn't thrown up. She had eaten, so she might be able to spar after lunch if she ate again and rested for a while after she ate. Maybe she would finally go to sleep and not worry if someone was going to grab her and drag her out of her bed in the middle of the night. That would be nice; to be so exhausted you forgot everything else.

xxxx

She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until the front door opened and slammed shut. She sat up and tried to rub her swollen eye, and muttered a stream of curses at the pain that shot through her someone was standing behind her. She turned and saw Piccolo looming behind her, tall and menacing. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was ten after four, and glancing back at Piccolo, saw that he could definitely tell time. She tried to smile and uttered a small, 'time flies when you're having fun,' watching his scowl deepen and she looked at the back of the couch.

"Right. I'll be eating lunch now," she said, getting up.

"You have exactly thirty minutes, and then I want you back outside," he growled.

"What!" she screamed, jumping up, "Are you mental? I could barely walk when I came in here, and you expect me to go outside and let you kick me around again? Are you trying to kill me?"

"You look all right to me," he said, "Your power level is back to normal."

"That is not the point!" she said while stomping into the kitchen.

She threw open the door to the fridge and pouted, staring at the shelves. Not seeing anything she wanted, she slammed it shut and opened the cabinets. What was she supposed to fix in thirty minutes? And then still have time to eat it? She could fix a sandwich, but that was pretty poor fare. She spotted the packs of ramen and got down four of them, tearing them open in a fit of anger. The seasoning packets went flying and she got out a big pot, holding it under the faucet, a sour look on her face. She could open her eye now and she set the pot down on the stove with a heavy 'plunk', glad that it wasn't a wood stove. She turned on the eye and threw the blocks of noodles in, splashing water everywhere. Thirty damn minutes, she thought, and I have to eat freakin' ramen! She sat and waited for the water to boil, not noticing that she had forgotten to add the flavor packets. They were still strewn about the floor, and she tapped her foot impatiently.

Where's some bubble wrap when you really need it, she asked herself, drumming her fingers against the smooth marble top of the island. She wanted to hit something, and then she realized she was going to be sparring very shortly. It wouldn't pay to get so worked up that she lost her senses. Screw counting backwards from ten, like that ever really helps. She just wanted to pummel something, and she didn't have a bag or a dummy. Instead, she was someone else's dummy. The more she thought about it, the madder she got.

"Cook damn it!" she screamed at the pot, slamming her hand on the counter. She realized what she had said and smiled, she was really acting like a brat, yelling and pouting wasn't going to solve anything. She noticed the packets in the floor and laughed once, a sharp sound that could have been a cough. It had been a long time since she had gotten this upset over anything, especially training. So what if he wasn't conventional and he was a jerk, it could be worse. She picked up the packets and got down a big bowl, checking the pot.

xxxx

She was slurping down the noodles when he came back inside, a long bunch still hanging from her mouth to the bowl. She bit them short and began chewing, realizing she was eating like a pig. Piccolo was oblivious; after all, he had seen worse. He was looking around for a glass.

"Second shelf to your right," Nozomi said, swallowing the mammoth mouthful of food.

He looked at her and then opened the cabinet, and saw the various glasses and tumblers lined and stacked neatly. He got one down and got a glass of water. She turned her attention back to the noodles, wanting to shovel them down. Still, she didn't want him to think she had no manners, so she ate slowly, actually taking time to chew. He watched her over the top of his glass, noticing that her eye was open, even though it was still swollen and black. He drank another three glasses before she was finally finished with her food. She sighed and rubbed her stomach, getting up to get her own glass, having to stand next to him to get to the cabinet. She hadn't realized just how tall he was, and she couldn't tell how wide his shoulders actually were because of the cape.

"Are they weighted?" she asked casually, standing on her tiptoes and trying to pull down a glass.

"What?" he asked, getting one and handing it to her.

"Thank you. The pauldrons," she said, turning to get some ice, "I was just wondering if they're weighted."

"Yes," he said, setting his glass down, "Why?"

"Just curious," she said, pouring herself a glass of the chamomile tea, "It's just the first time I've seen someone wear something that resembles armor as everyday wear."

He watched her drink, noticing that she closed her eyes as she tilted her head up. She was very pretty, even with a split lip and a black eye, and he wondered if she knew it or not. He hadn't been around many women for an extended period, and so far she seemed to be a lot like Bulma and Chi Chi. She yells like the both of them anyway. I'm going to learn more than I probably want to know about women by the time this is over with, he thought.


	5. Change of Seasons

Others would consider the next months either a learning experience, or Hell. To Nozomi and Piccolo, it was perhaps a bit of both. The sparring sessions were getting longer, less like glorified beatings and more like actual training. Part of the reason was that as Nozomi gained weight, her power level and strength grew as well. The other was that her reflexes and her blind fighting skills were phenomenal for the average human. There was still the occasional broken bone, but Nozomi's healing technique was also improving.

Her personality was slowing returning to her, and she was becoming more relaxed and less moody. Piccolo's mood was bettering because of it too; he had relented on several things. One was the amount of time that she took for meals. He found the longer she waited, the more energy she had, and the more she could take.

He was actually beginning to enjoy her company. She was generally easy to get along with, even though there were certain things about living with her he would rather forget. Like the time she had overslept. He had somewhat learned her daily routine, and she wasn't stretching when he had gone outside early one morning. He had innocently gone to wake her up, had opened the door only to be greeted by a shrill shriek and a flying shoe, and had closed the door before she found something else to throw, his nose stinging. A few moments later she had torn open the door and lit into him. He had crossed his arms and listened to her rant, and calmly told her he didn't see what the problem was.

"I was changing you pervert!" were her exact words, and then he had told her that he hadn't seen anything but her shoe flying at him. She had then called him a 'lying big green man in a turban', which to say the least was a very weak insult. He had been somewhat amused; he had never been called anything quite so childish and simple. She had then taken a deep breath and stomped off, getting over it by their first hour of sparring, even asking him with textbook concern if his nose was 'okay'. She hardly every smiled or laughed either, and even when she did it seemed somehow forced. He still had no idea of her age, but guessed she was at least his age. She could be a little older than Gohan I suppose, he thought, but not likely.

Nozomi herself was feeling better than she had in four years. She was finally beginning to fill out, her clothes getting tighter by the week. Her gis still fit, and she really wasn't concerned. She was happy that she was beginning to look like a young woman instead of an extremely effeminate boy. The only concern she had was that she might eventually get fat. After all, she ate enough for six hungry lumberjacks. A fact that still amazed her. She found herself falling into a predictable pattern, get up, stretch, spar for four hours, eat, spar for six hours, shower, eat, clean or read, go to bed. Day in and day out. The only exception was when she went and soaked in the hot spring, but generally, she kept to her usual habits.

At the moment, she was writing a paper for Tholi. Piccolo was meditating inside since there was a big spring thunderstorm going on outside. Her mind wandered from the advantages of adding wild stock to the breeding program for the Temple's horses, and turned to Piccolo. It had been close to a year since they had first met, she wasn't sure because she really didn't know exactly what month or day it was. She knew it was spring, a year since they had met, and that the clock was correct, but that was about it. She told herself she didn't have the time to flip the calendar, but the truth was she just didn't care. Tholi called every week, usually on Fridays, and really, the time of day was all she felt she needed to be concerned with anyway.

She looked over to where Piccolo was sitting, looking back at her paper, thinking. There were a few things that unnerved her about him. The first being that he didn't seem to think of her as a girl. The other was that she was beginning to trust him, and that she found the most disturbing. The only ones she truly trusted were Tholi and the others at the Temple; she had found that putting your trust in people was highly overrated and often lead to being hurt.

She tapped her pen against the notebook and look over at him again, studying his features. From the beginning, she had found him attractive, more so because of his unusual appearance. She often found herself wondering what the rest of him looked like, and then had to convince herself it was just idle curiosity and nothing more. He reminded her somewhat of Tholi, though he was obviously far less strict about a strict schedule. Tholi was a firm believer in the old 'early to bed and early to rise' adage, with the exception of festivals and holidays. Piccolo could care less if she got to bed by ten or stayed up the whole night, as long as she was ready to spar the next morning. Both of them were very serious, and had a very narrow sense of humor. She had yet to see Piccolo smile or laugh, something she had seen Tholi do many times.

The biggest difference was that Piccolo seemed to have an extreme sense of apathy when it came to her injuries. The most he would do is back off and let her take care of it; Tholi was a bit fussy if you were hurt. Nozomi didn't mind at all, she hated being fussed over, it made her feel so childish. She sighed and looked back down at her paper, not seeing Piccolo look up just as she looked down. She had been staring at him while she was thinking, but hadn't really been looking at him. Her stomach growled and she got up, walking to the kitchen, and when she came back she had an enormous sandwich and a tall glass of water. To his surprise, she brought the water to him and sat back down to enjoy her sandwich.

Truth be told she often did this. She was the most attentive person he had known, and he often opened his eyes to see a full glass in front of him when he had thought how nice it would be to get a drink. Nozomi tore into her sandwich, not noticing him look at her before he picked up the glass. The phone rang and she went to pick it up, swallowing a half chewed bite and feeling her eyes water, not seeing the corner of Piccolo's mouth turn up.

"Hello," she croaked out, it was Tholi, "No I'm fine, just swallowed something before chewing again. . . I know, I know. . . Yeah. . . It is?. . . Of course I don't know, I know it's spring . . . Well, I guess I do now . . . Really? Wow. . . Yeah that'll be great, okay, tell her I'll see her then. Bye."

She hung up and looked over at Piccolo, who had opened his eyes to watch her speak.

"Yume's coming over tomorrow, apparently it's my birthday," she said as if she were saying it was raining, "She's going to stay for a few days, is that all right?"

"It's your house," he said, closing his eyes again.

"You live here too you know," she said, sitting back down, "You do have a say about it."

"Whatever," he grumbled.

She frowned and then stuck out her tongue at him, scrunching up her eyes. Unfortunately, at that moment he chose to open his eyes back up, and caught her doing it. He raised an eyebrow and she opened her eyes and turned bright red, realizing there was no graceful way out of the situation. She picked up her sandwich and began eating it again, trying not to look over at him, her cheeks still flushed. He resisted the urge to smirk and went back to meditating, leaving her to do her work and eat in silent embarrassment.


	6. Blood of Violet

Nozomi had fallen asleep on the couch, her head resting on her notebook, her pen still in her hand. Piccolo had gotten annoyed at her loud snoring and had gone into the rear bedroom, which Nozomi had told him was his on the first day. He looked around the room, the pale moonlight fading in through the thin curtains, barely lighting up the room. He opened the curtains as a flash of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the heavy raindrops like pieces of clear crystal.

He stood there for several minutes, watching the rain fall, and turned and looked around the room again. The bed was large, as was every bed in the house, and dressed out in bold, deep colors. Mostly navy and burgundy, but there was a few splashes of hunter green around the room, though they were indiscernible in the dark. It was strangely calming knowing that he could come in here and not be disturbed, since Nozomi never bothered him if he walked in here while she happened to be ranting about something.

He sat in front of the window, and he could still hear Nozomi's snoring, though it was considerably quieter with the rain hitting the window. She rarely snored unless she was exhausted, which he supposed she was, after all she was constantly doing something if she wasn't sparring. The house stayed clean, and if she had no work to do at night she often did kata. He supposed that was why she yelled at night, since she was pleasant while she was moving. Actually, he found it closed his eyes to meditate and eventually fell asleep listening to the raindrops patter against the window.

xxxx

Nozomi woke up and pushed herself onto her elbows, realizing she had been drooling.

"Gross," she groaned, wiping the side of her face with the back of her hand.

She looked down and saw that her paper had smeared, and frowned. Stretching her back and neck and as she got up, she found that she slightly stiff. She passed Piccolo on her way to the stairs and muttered a 'good morning' as she ran up them. He noticed she had a large smear of ink on her cheek and raised a brow, going to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

She had changed and was now searching for the toothpaste. Finding it, she closed the medicine cabinet, and then stared at her reflection. Half of her face was dark blue! She glanced down at her hand and wondered how in hell she had missed the smudge on it. She chuckled and went to get a towel to dry her face. When she was through, she went into the kitchen and saw Piccolo getting another glass of water.

"Why didn't you tell me I had ink on my face?" she asked, getting down a bowl.

"You found out yourself didn't you?" he asked, looking at her.

"Yeah but still," she said, then sighed, "Never mind."

She fixed herself a bowl of cereal and sat down to eat it, looking over at the calendar. Yume was coming over, and it was her birthday. Yume was Tholi's daughter, and she and Nozomi were like sisters. She actually smiled and took another huge bite of cereal, her cheeks bulging. Piccolo watched her smile when she looked at the calendar, an actual smile, and it struck him that she would be considered beautiful by any standards. Then she put a huge spoonful of food in her mouth and the image shattered and she looked like a five year old. She swallowed and looked at him.

"Yume's coming over today, is it okay if we stop sparring after lunch?" she asked, her eyes bright.

"No," he said, his brows furrowing.

"Come on, it's just one day," she pleaded, "I'll spar after dinner to make it up."

"That's less than six hours," he said, "I said no."

"Please Piccolo, how about just for two hours after lunch, and then we'll spar until dinner and after dinner, please?" she opened her eyes wider, giving him puppy dog eyes.

"One hour," he said, setting the glass in the sink harder than he had meant to. The glass shattered and a large piece sank into his palm, "Shit!"

Nozomi shot up and ran over, turning on the water and reaching for his wrist. Purple blood was pouring down the drain and he jerked his hand away from her.

"It's fine," he growled, pulling the shard out of his hand.

"No it's not, now give it here, there could be a piece left in it," she said, grabbing his wrist.

She held it under the cool water until it stopped bleeding, only slightly shocked that the blood running from his hand was purple. She held his hand and examined it, looking very much as if she was reading his palm. There was no more glass in it, and she reached behind her and opened a cabinet, taking down a small amber bottle. She uncorked it and looked up at him.

"This might sting a little," she said before she poured a bit into his hand. A strong smell filled his nostrils and his nose wrinkled. Nozomi smiled and got a roll of clean muslin bandages.

"It's tea tree oil, an antiseptic. I'll make a calendula infusion later and you can soak it if it starts looking infected," she said casually, wrapping his hand. When she was through, she tore it and tucked the end under the bandage, securing it, "I liked that glass you know."

He snorted and she smiled again, shaking her head, "You shouldn't get so worked up, it's bad for the heart."

"You're one to talk," he said, flexing his hand and watching her gather up the pieces of glass.

"You're right. I need to learn how to keep my temper."

He walked out and she watched after him, the muslin contrasting with his skin. She went back and finished her cereal, wondering when Yume would arrive.


	7. The Eagle Girl

Yume arrived before lunch as they were sparring, and watched them, occasionally having to close her eyes and listen to locate them. Nozomi finally noticed her and turned around and waved, and was kicked across the yard by Piccolo. Yume covered her mouth and tried not to laugh, she knew Nozomi wasn't hurt and anyway, Tholi would have done the same thing. Nozomi picked herself up and rushed back in, while Yume began untacking the horses. When she had the tack off she sat and watched the rest of the match, noticing how much Nozomi had improved. They were through when Nozomi rolled into the tree and lay there, upside down, stunned. Yume got up and went over, bending down and looking at her face. Nozomi slowly opened her eyes and they smiled at each other, Yume beginning to chuckle.

"You still get yourself into the weirdest positions," she said, helping her up.

They hugged and Nozomi smiled cheerfully back at her, "No more than you."

"Hmph. You've gotten taller," she said, noticing Nozomi was now almost a foot taller than her.

"I guess so," Nozomi shrugged, as they walked over to Yume's things, "Piccolo, this is Yume Silverwind, Tholi's daughter."

"Hello," she bowed, her black hair falling into her face.

She did look a lot like Tholi, but her vivid green eyes were very different from Tholi's steel gray ones. She was slender and pale, and very cute. Piccolo only nodded and went to sit under the oak tree, Yume watching him with a raised eyebrow.

"Friendly huh?" she asked Nozomi, who was picking up the pack saddle and panniers.

"What the hell did you bring?" she asked, noting the weight of it all.

"Presents," Yume cried loudly, and Piccolo and Nozomi both winced at the high pitch of it, "Happy thirteenth birthday!"

Piccolo turned and stared at Nozomi, who was blushing. _Thirteen! She's thirteen! That meant she's Gohan's age, exactly_. Nozomi looked over and saw him staring at her.

"What?"

"You're thirteen?" he asked, watching her blink, _Well, it explains- Hell, it doesn't explain anything. Who is this girl?_

"She acts like an old woman doesn't she?" Yume asked, "Good old Nozomi, a forty-year old warrior trapped in a thirteen-year old's lanky body!"

"Thanks Yume," Nozomi said, her face a bright pink, "I don't act any older than you do."

"Come on, you have to open your presents," she said, grabbing Nozomi's arm and dragging her towards the house.

"Piccolo, do you want anything to drink?" Nozomi asked, allowing herself to be pulled along.

Instead of answering, he got up and followed them inside, still stunned. Nozomi set the saddle down in the living room and went into the kitchen, dragging Piccolo with her to look at his hand. It looked fine and she got him a glass of water and then went back to sit with Yume. He stared from his bandage to the glass of water and raised a brow, a look of comedic confusion on his face.

Yume had gotten out several bundles wrapped in muslin and had arranged them neatly on the coffee table. Nozomi sat down and when Yume reached for a present, her sleeve rode up and revealed a black tattoo of an eagle on her upper left arm.

"You had your totem ceremony," Nozomi said, looking at it.

"Huh? Oh yeah, about a month ago. Kosui had hers too, she's a swan child. Big surprise huh?" she asked, handing her a package.

"What's this?" she asked, taking it.

"Duh, it's a present Nozomi."

Nozomi rolled her eyes indulgently and untiedthe cord. Thestiff paper revealed a beautiful piece of pure white leather, as soft as cloth. She gasped and ran her hands over it, knowing it had taken a long time to get it like this.

"Teya made it for you," she said, there's enough to make just about anything once," she said, and picked up another package, "This is Kosui's I think."

She opened it and there were several smaller packages. They contained several beautiful perfumes and a skein of exquisite lapis blue silk, and another package that contained a skein of smoky blue silk. Nozomi was overwhelmed, and Yume took the opportunity to shove another package into her hands.

"From Kure, Sato, Kashi, and Ringo," she said, "So you can guess what they gave you."

"Candies?" Nozomi said, opening it. Sure enough, it was full of all kinds of sweets, all handmade and of different colors.

"From Honya and Shinsetsuna," Yume said, handing her another.

It was a large book on armor and weapons, and Nozomi smiled and shook her head. Hukui and Yowai had given her a string of perfectly round lapis beads; Hoshi and Yoake had given her skeins of pale peach silk and another in blood red; Uta and Ata had given her a small silver harp and a golden flute; Hana and Sakura gave her a small figure of a horse, carved from cherry and oak; Tori had sent her a gold necklace with a locket carved with nightingales.

"Raye even sent you something," Yume said, giving her a very small package.

"I'm shocked," she said. Raye was an older Temple girl who, from the day that Tholi had found her, hated Nozomi with a passion. Nozomi had always tried to be nice, but Raye was always trying to get her into trouble. She opened the package and a gray rock rolled out. Yume and Nozomi looked at it, her eyes slightly wide and her lips pursed.

"I don't believe it! She gave you a rock!" Yume howled, more at Nozomi's reaction than the horrid gift, "You ought to chuck it at her big head next time you see her, it would serve her right!"

Nozomi picked up the rock and looked at it, beginning to laugh, "I should, but it's the first nice thing she's ever given me!"

They laughed for another five minutes, and even Piccolo came in to see what was so funny. He saw the rock on the table and raised a brow. Then he noticed Nozomi was actually laughing and watched her.

"What's so funny?" he asked, not being able to help himself.

"Raye. . . got. . . me. . . a. . . rock!" Nozomi gasped, still laughing hysterically. Yume was rocking forwards and backwards, holding her sides.

"Right," he said, and went back outside.

"I bet he thinks we're insane," Nozomi said when they calmed down.

"Oh, who cares," Yume said, wiping her eyes, "It's good to hear you laugh again."

"Haven't had much reason to," she said, looking down at her lap.

Yume handed her another package, "This is from Niagi."

Niagi was Raye's mother, and even though she herself disliked Nozomi, she wasn't mean to her. Nozomi opened it and found a new gi, this one was in heavy white cotton, and was quite large.

"She must be hoping you're fat," Yume said, watching her hold it up.

"I can just turn the pants into hakamas," she shrugged, "I can resize the top if I ever get breasts."

"You will," Yume said, "Knowing your luck they'll be so huge you won't be able to see your toes over them."

"I think Kosui's rubbing off on you," she said, folding up the huge gi.

Yume shrugged and handed her the last package, "From me and Tholi."

Nozomi opened it and pulled out an exquisite black chainmail shirt, the sides fastened by leather pieces.

"It's so if you grow anymore it'll still fit," Yume said, "Or you can add to it if that leaves too big of a gap."

"Why would she send me armor," Nozomi said.

"Open the other one, under it," she said, a big smile on her face.

Nozomi did and there, wrapped in black silk, was a pair of scimitars. Along one curved blade was lotus and waves engraved along the back, along the other, were flames erupting from the demon face carved near the hilt. They were magnificent, and she knew what Tholi giving them to her meant. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and she hugged Yume again.

"Thank you so much," she said, her voice strained.

"Your welcome No-chan," Yume said, hugging her back.

Nozomi pulled back and wiped her eyes with a sniff, "How about we go and get lunch from somewhere, Tholi left that old junky truck here."

"But we can't drive!" Yume said, her eyes wide.

"If we don't get caught, who's to know," she smirked.

"What about Piccolo?"

"Oh man, I forgot, I've only got two hours, that's not enough time to get there and shop and come back," she said, then hit her fist in her other palm, "I've got it. Take out!"

"All right!" Yume said jumping up, "You got money?"

Nozomi frowned, then brightened again, "No. But I do have a credit card!"

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For those of you whose jaws hit the floor, let me explain. According to the time line at Ultimate DBZ Info (I've got it if anyone's interested) Piccolo was born May 9, 753; and Gohan sometime in May in 757. Nozomi was born May 1, 757. In other words, Piccolo is only 4 years older than Gohan, freaky, huh? Anyway, that's why she's so young. And her looks, well, I tried to make it blatant that she was young, and I might have been too vague, so you all can rant about that.


	8. Gimon no Kazoku

Yume stayed until Saturday, commenting that it beat doing her chores and listening to Raye's constant boasting. Nozomi had laughed as she helped tack up the horses, sad that her friend was leaving, but glad that she had come. Yume's horse was a big black mare named Seishin, and the other horse she didn't recognize.

"This is Hikigaeru," she said, patting the tiny bay's nose, "He's one of the weanlings we rounded up last year."

"You named him Toad?" Nozomi asked, looking at his short face. He was rather ugly if you got right down to it.

"He looks like one," Yume said, "He was a gorgeous weanling, but his head never seemed to grow, and his rear end's higher than his front."

"So I see," Nozomi said, adjusting the panniers.

"He's a sweet boy though, he'll make some kid a good pony. Or a great pack horse," she said, "We gelded him as soon as we saw how ugly he was, poor thing. He's such a pretty deep bay too."

"That's how it goes," Nozomi said, watching Yume get on Seishin, "Travel safely. _Ohan na lo_."

"I will, I'll have Tholi call you when I get back. _Ohan na lo_," she said, and turned the horses around and cantered off.

She didn't realize Piccolo was standing behind her until he spoke.

"Tholi's her mother?"

Nozomi turned around and looked at him, puzzled, "Yeah."

"She doesn't call her mother," he said.

"Of course not. Tholi's her birth mother, but the Temple raised her. Tholi's not allowed to show favoritism, even towards her own daughter. It's how it's always been. You're born into the Temple by one woman and raised by everyone," she said.

"Who's your mother?" he asked, catching even himself off guard.

She looked at him for a moment, her face unreadable, before looking away, "I don't know. Tholi found me under a tree when I was just a few days old. Since I wasn't a daughter or a niece she sent me to live with a devout family. She's always looked after my welfare."  
There was something she wasn't telling him, but he didn't press her, "Now, I'm technically an adult, by Temple law anyway, and I don't need my foster parents anymore. They eventuallycared only about the money I could make them."

She stopped talking and looked at her feet, her eyes hot and itchy. She looked back up and he saw they were over bright, "It's almost one, better get started."

He nodded and they walked into the front yard.

x

After an hour it was obvious her mind was elsewhere, and he stopped and told her to take a break. She looked at him as if he'd grown a set of horns and stood there.

"I can change my mind," he said, crossing his arms.

She sighed and went inside, looking as though he'd just punished her. He wasn't going to continue if she wasn't going to put all her effort into it, it was pointless. He walked inside to get a drink and saw her sitting at the island, raising a brow at theapple twirling, apparently of its own accord, on the table. She glanced up at him and then back down at the apple. He got out a glass, filled it, and when he turned around, the apple was floating about an inch off the island, still spinning. Nozomi's brows were furrowed and sweat was beginning to bead on her forehead, her cheeks flushed. He frowned and reached out and grabbed the apple, pushing it back down, and Nozomi scowled up at him.

"What'd you do that for?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Because your going to burst something," he said, frowning at her, "If you're too preoccupied to fight, then you can't do that either."

"That's not fair," she said, beginning to open her mouth again.

"Tough shit," he said in the brief silence, watching her mouth snap closed, and taking a long drink.

"You're so hateful," she said, grabbing the apple and taking a bite of it.

"You're childish," he said back.

"I am a child," she mocked, swallowing.

"Not anymore," he said with a smirk.

"Don't you ever smile?" she suddenly asked, "All you do is smirk and frown."

"You don't smile much either," he said.

"So. I do though."

"I would if you ever did anything to smile about," he said coolly, taking another drink.

"You're a real dork," she said with an eyeroll, taking a bite of apple.

He looked at her and raised a brow, and she paused for a moment and stuck out her tongue, half masticated apple on it. He scowled and set down his glass, and she swallowed and began to laugh. He wrinkled his nose and took the apple out of her hand, and threw it into the garbage.

"Hey, you ass, I was eating that!" she yelled.

"I know," he said, beginning to walk out,"I saw."

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The chapter title means "Question of Family"


	9. Return to the Temple

I keep finding editing mistakes, and I'm really sorry, I'll try to catch them before I publish from now on.

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Nozumi had spent the rest of her free time figuring out what she was going to do with everything. The silks and leather she put in a large chest in her room along with the jewelry; the trinketsand swords she arranged on her mantle; the book went onto the couch to read; and the chainmail she put in another chest in the trophy room, wrapping the chainmail in muslin before she laid it in, on top of several wrapped parcels. The rock she had taken outside and put in the garden, not really wanting it to sit in the house. She had gone back downstairs to look around, feeling restless. She wanted to spar, but knew Piccolo wouldn't oblige her. Once he had his mind set he seemed to just tune her out. _Maybe he'll let me go for a walk_, she thought, going outside.

He was meditating under the tree and she walked over, putting her arms behind her back, "Pic-co-loooo."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was smiling slightly, her hands behind her back. For some reason, he felt she looked sneaky, "What?"

"Can I go for a walk? It'll help me clear my head," she wheedled.

"Whatever," he said, closing his eyes.

"Thank you!" she said brightly, resisting the urge to hug him. She turned and ran back inside, looking for her shoes. A long walk in the woods was just what she needed, maybe she'd even find some strawberries. She grabbed her swords and ran out the back door, eager to get under the cool shade of the trees.

xxxx

She licked the berry juice of her fingers and hummed as she walked. She had been walking for an hour and had found several bunches of wild strawberries, which were her undeniably favorite springtime food. She was looking for a stream to wash her hands in, and she had heard one in this direction earlier. As she got closer, she began to feel uneasy. She stopped and strained her ears to see if she could hear anything. No, just the stream about ten yards ahead. That was it, there were no birds singing anymore! She dropped down behind a bush and tested the air, trying to catch any smells of gamy meat or a predator. All she could smell was the earth and the trees, and the strawberry juice on her.

She got back up and drew a sword, she may not smell, or hear or even sense anything, but that creepy feeling remained.She walked silently toward the stream, ready to fight or jump up a tree if she had too. Something snapped a stick somewhere and she spun toward the sound, her knife ready. A bead of sweat rolled down her face as she waited, and she saw two large, brown eyes looking at her. She sighed and waved her hand, and the deer bounded off. She turned back and walked to the stream, noticing there was a clearing ahead. She looked over a bush and saw a large form lying very close to the small waterway, its nose just inches away from the pristine water.

It was a deep red horse, and as she walked through the bushes she expected it to bolt up and run, but it lay motionless. She resheathed her blade and walked forward, seeing a tiny palomino foal lying in the sun close by. _Nature's not all that fair_, she thought, reaching out to touch the mare. Its body was cold and stiff, she had been dead for at least half a day. Nozumi turned toward the foal, noting sadly that it was a very pretty shade of white. She kneeled down and touched its scrawny neck, when it jumped up, screaming shrilly. Nozumi fell backwards and stared as it ran to the edge of the clearing and turned around, snorting at her.

It was probably only aweek or two old, its legs were still thin and knobby, and it was tiny. She held out her hand and crooned to it, inching toward it. The foal wanted to run, but it had no where to go, its mother insisted that they stay here. Nozumi scratched it under the chin and crooned, her hand going to her sash to untie it. The baby smelled her hands and began sucking on her fingers, obviously hungry. Nozumi smiled and tied her sash around its neck, deciding to take it back with her, after all she couldn't leave it alone to starve or be killed by some hungry wolf or lion. The foal followed her instinctively and Nozumi paused at the edge of the clearing and looked back at the mare's body, feeling immensely sad.

When they reached the house, Nozumi checked to make sure Piccolo was ignoring her and she took her sash of the foal's neck, sneaking in the kitchen door. As soon as she got out of its sight, it whinnied for her, and Piccolo's head snapped around and he stared at it. Nozumi ran outside and looked over at him, the foal coming up to her and chewing on her gi.

"No," he said when she came toward him and opened her mouth.

She ran over, the foal following her and running into her. "But Piccolo, it's just a baby, it'll die!" she said, hugging its scrawny neck.

"No."

"Please Piccolo, you can't be that mean! I promise it won't be any trouble," she pleaded, "I can feed it before we spar and it won't get in the way, I promise."

He glowered at her, but she continued on.

"Please, I'll train even harder to make up for it if you'll just let me keep it Piccolo. It'll die!" She cried, giving him big puppy dog eyes, "Please, I'll do anything if you'll just say yes!"_What is it about kids and animals?_ he thought_, I can't believe I'm going to say this,_ "Fine, but the first moment you slack off, it goes! Now shut up and leave me alone!"

"Thank you so much. You won't regret it!" she cried excitedly. 

"I said shut up!" he yelled, causing the little horse to run off.

Nozumi was unaffected and skipped toward the house to call Tholi for some formula. Piccolo watched the little horse tag behind her and wondered if he knew what he was doing.

xxxx

Time passed quickly, and amazing enough, Nozumi did work harder. For the first month of the little horse's stay she slept in the barn with it, Getting up before dawn to get its bottle ready, and going to bed well after nightfall. She trained all day now; Tholi had stopped assigning her work as part of the deal she had made with Piccolo. Piccolo himself was amazed that she could still keep everything as organized as it was before. Everything stayed the way it had been, and Nozumi seemed perfectly fine. She went to bed exhausted every night, but other than that she really was all right. In fact, she was more than all right. By midwinter she had grown another two inches and had put on another ten pounds, and to her delight, had curves, even though they were all but invisible under her gis.

Tholi had called the week before her birthday and said that she was going to send someone over to get them and bring them to the Temple for the month before the upcominng tournament. Yume had arrived the next morning with three horses, and they left, Piccolo refusing to ride and flew off, leaving them staring after him.She had given Nozumi a questioning look, and Nozumi had shrugged, urging her horse into a canter.

xxxx

Piccolo had arrived at the Temple in a manner of minutes and was greeted rather warmly by Tholi, who then introduced him to all the temple girls. There were at least thirty, ranging from twelve to forty, all slender and attractive. Tholi then showed him where he would be sleeping, and suggested that if he wanted to be alone he would do better to stay in the room than venture outside. He took her advice and looked around the room at the furnishings, which, for a temple were rather ornate and elegant. Instead of doors, there were thick, tapestry drapes covering the doorways to the sleeping quarters, and he could hear people talking and walking up and down the hall. He sat in the floor and looked around, wondering what Gohan and the others would think if they knew what he was doing. Still, he really did enjoy Nozumi's company more than he thought he would, and realized that two years were up.

Tholi pushed the drape aside and walked in, bowing an apology for disturbing him. She sat in front of him and looked at him steadily with her steel gray eyes.

"I wanted to talk to you about perhaps staying on for another two years," she said, "I haven't been able to find anyone else."

He looked at her but didn't say anything.

She plunged on, "I know it must be a real inconvenience for you, but the truth is that after her- performance last year, I haven't found anyone else willing to do it. And you're the only one that I trust. I can pay you double what I offered you last time."

"I don't need the money," he said, "What you're asking is, do you think I can stand another two years alone with her."

"No," Tholi said, shaking her head with a slight smile, "I'm asking do you think she can improve, and if she can, can you make her. That's what I'm asking."

"I don't know," he said, "It's possible. She's trains hard enough."

"Aren't in the least bit curious as to just how powerful she could be? Her power level is far beyond a normal fighter, wouldn't you say?" she asked, then quickly added, "It would be a shame to stop now."

Piccolo knew exactly what she was trying to do, and he unconsciously smiled. It caught Tholi off guard and she stared at him, realizing that he was quite handsome.

"I guess it would," he said, then asked something that had been wondering him,"Why is this so important?"

"Because I have a duty to make sure she-" she stopped and thought for a moment, "I love her more than I should- even with all my talk of fulfilling my duties- and I feel responsible for everything that she's gone through up to this point in her life. She deserves more than what she's gotten, and I think that you're the key."

He thought about this for a moment, letting it sink in. What wasn't she telling him about Nozumi? What exactly did Tholi mean by fulfilling her duty by Nozomi? He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. _What else do I have to do_, he asked himself, _I don't have anywhere to be, and it's not so bad living with her. She grows on you after awhile. It's better than being alone_.

"Just for two more years," he finally said.

Tholi bowed and left, pleased that he'd agreed. He watched the drapes fall back into place and smiled to himself. _I'm getting soft, I think I actually care about her_.


	10. The Solarian Temple

The Solarian Temple was the crowning jewel of West View City, located forty miles from the sprawling metropolis, and the last area of civilization between the city and the wilderness beyond. It sat at the end of a long, packed earth drive, the cool stone exterior plain and inviting. To the right was a large barn and paddock; to the left, a large bathhouse. Livestock in the form of cattle, goats and sheep roamed a field behind the rear, past the large gardens, and horses roamed the rest of the grounds, oftentimes blocking traffic on the drive.

Inside the public area of the temple, large windows let in the sun, most of it directed towards the huge alabaster statue of Solaria. The sun goddess was the pinnacle of the southern pantheon of gods, and while the Temple's gates were open, a constant stream of worshipers streamed through. Public services were held at dawn, and the rest of the day there was spent training, or on chores.

Life at the Temple was full of hard work and discipline; the self-sustaining status it held leaving little time for one to be idle for long. The library contained holy texts thousands of years old, and the inner sanctum was one of the world's holiest locations. In it was a solid gold statue of the goddess, an ancient prophecy written around the hem of the sari wrapped around its slim shoulders, the six arms held out from the body like rays of the sun.

Nozomi had always enjoyed staying at there, as her unique position enabled her access to areas that were forbidden to the laymen, such as the library and inner sanctum. She spent her early morning doing exercises with the temple girls, and then she and Piccolo would spar until lunch. Sometimes Tholi would come and watch, standing perfectly still on the cool white marble, the sun beating down on all of them. After lunch was reserved for lessons; music and singing lessons, etiquette lessons, dancing lessons. Nozomi hated the etiquette lessons, but she endured them anyway for the sake of being a well rounded person. After dinner she had weaponry lessons and riding lessons, then it was on to the bath house and then to bed.

Piccolo spent his newfound free time meditating next to the huge fountain, which had been made to look and sound like a waterfall. The Temple girls more or less left him alone, but for the first few days he would often look up and see a few of them staring at him curiously. There was nothing malicious in it, so he endured it without comment. Nozomi continued to wait on him, leaving full water skins on the fountain's edge for him, and he wondered if she did this out of habit or because she wanted too. He often watched her weaponry and riding lessons as they were held outside, and sometimes the foal would sidle up to him and lean on him. Nozomi had named her Siren, and when she was allowed out of the stable, she followed Nozomi or Piccolo everywhere. Piccolo found it rather annoying when the foal chewed on him, but couldn't get away from it. The fact that he never payed any attention to it made him wonder why it was attached to him at all.

x

At the present time it was ten days until the tournament, and he was brought out of meditation by a hard pull to his cape. He looked down and saw, not Siren, but one of the temple's many dogs pulling on it. He jerked it out of it's mouth and the material ripped, the dog running off before he could even think of killing it. Deciding to go find someone to fix it, preferably Nozomi, he was walking down the hallway that held the library when he finally heard voices.

"Stand up straight, shoulders back, head up, good," it was Tholi's voice and he walked towards it, "It's still a bit tight in the waist Teya."

"I'll let it out when I hem it, are you sure these are the shoes you're going to wear?"

"Yes," that was Nozomi's voice.

He looked in the doorway and stared, Nozomi was wearing a dress! It was a pale mint green cheongsam, and looked very nice on her.

"It wouldn't be so tight but I think you grew some more since I measured you last month," a green haired girl said, her mouth full of pins.

"The way you eat Nozomi, that wouldn't surprise me," Yume said, then spotted him, "Piccolo, did you need something?"

Nozomi spun around and stared at him, her face bright red.

"Hey, don't move!" the green haired girl yelled.

"Sorry," Nozomi said quietly, turning back around.

"What happened to your cape?" Yume asked, seeing the big tear in it.

"One of the dogs by the looks of it," Tholi said, "If you want it fixed you've come at the right time. Yume can fix it for you."

He took off his cape and Yume walked over and held out her hands. He handed it to her and she fell backwards, the whole thing landing on top of her.

"You could've warned me it was that heavy!" she said, pushing it off and rubbing her stomach, "I'll have it done in a minute if you want to wait."

She unwrapped the material from the pauldrons and took it over to where Nozomi was.

"Are you going to fight in that now?" he asked Nozomi's back sarcastically, watching her neck turn red.

"Unlike the Open World Tournament, contestants of the Women's Tournament are required to be entered in the World Pageant," Tholi said, "They thought it would bring some extra publicity to the whole thing. It's a rather idiotic idea, but that's how it's been done. It's a necessary evil I guess."

"I think it's stupid," Nozomi snapped, "The girls that place the highest at the pageant are only there for that; and they leave as soon as it's over."

"You usually place in the top five," Yume said with a smirk.

Nozomi glared down at her and crossed her arms, "That is beyond the point."

"Hold still!" Teya yelled, "I'm gonna poke you the next time you move!"

"Sorry, but aren't you done? It's just a hem."

"Just a hem! You've been moving around like a monkey the whole time! If you'd hold still I could've been done by now. Nobody appreciates the work I put into these things," Teya said, putting in the last pin.

"Because we can do it ourselves," Yume said with a grin.

"I'm done with this one," Teya said, ignoring Yume's remark, "That's it for the dresses."

"Go change and work on your music," Tholi said, "How's it coming Yume?"

"Almost done," she said, "You'd be better off just getting another one, this one's almost worn out."

She wrapped the cloth back around the pauldrons and picked them up with a grunt, handing them back.

"Thanks," he said, putting it back on.

"Doesn't that make your back hurt?" Yume asked.

Piccolo looked at her and raised a brow.

"Yume, go help Kure and Sato with dinner," Tholi said.

Yume bowed and left, leaving them alone.

"She never mentioned she was going to be in a beauty contest," he said, the amusement in his voice obvious.

"She wouldn't. She doesn't think she should be required to compete, and I agree with her. But, if you don't compete in the pageant, you don't compete in the Tournament," Tholi said, "People underestimate Nozomi because of the way she looks. Think that she's afraid to get hit."

"I could see why they'd think that," he said, thinking about how she'd grown and how her voice had deepened to a silky, honeyed tone.

"Really? She thinks you don't notice she's a girl," Tholi said amused.

"I know she's a girl," he said, a slight frown on his face, _All too well_.

Tholi chuckled, "It's hard to miss. But she's not the most feminine girl, let's put it that way. She rather have a sword than a skirt. Anyway, we're leaving tomorrow, and I was wondering if you wanted to take a break."

"Do you not want me to go to the Tournament?"

"I just didn't think you'd want to sit through all the pageant stuff," she said, waving her hand, "It's dull. The actual Tournament doesn't begin until June first. You have a week to spend by yourself and get away from all these women, and you're welcome to do so."

"You sure I'll come back?" he asked.

"Nozomi trusts you, that's all the reassurance I need," she said with a warm smile before she walked out.


	11. To the Tournament

"Where's Piccolo?" Nozomi asked, looking around as they loaded the van to leave.

"He was going to visit some old friends. He said he'd be back for the Tournament," Tholi said, putting the tent into the back, "Is that everything?"

"Yeah, that's it. Wait, did we make Nozomi some new gis?" Kosui asked, looking over the checklist.

"Yes. Now who's going this time? Teya, Uta, Ringo, Yume, Sakura," Tholi counted watching the girls step forward, "Okay, let's go. We've got a long drive."

They all piled in and waved watching the Temple fade in the dust as they drove away. After the first four hours, most of them were asleep, with the exception of Yume, Nozomi, and Tholi. Yume and Nozomi were playing chess with the travel board, and Tholi noticed Nozomi looked distracted.

"What's on your mind?" she asked after Nozomi lost another round to Yume.

"Yeah really," Yume said as she reset the board, "You've never lost this many times ina row."

"He didn't say good-bye or anything," Nozomi said quietly, looking at her hands.

"Who, Piccolo?" Yume asked, making a face.

She nodded, looking out the window.

"He said he'd be there, have a little faith," Tholi said, "What about the next two years? Who do you want for a trainer?"

"Do you think Piccolo would stay on?" she asked hopefully, looking at the back of Tholi's head.

"You sure you want that? Yume said he was a bit rough on you," Tholi said.

"Rough doesn't begin to cover it," Yume muttered, moving one of her pawns.

"No, he's not," Nozomi said, "He's nice, ask Tholi, please."

"Nice?" Yume asked, looking incredulous.

"Yeah," Nozomi said, shrugging.

"Yes," Tholi corrected.

"Yes, he is quite nice and pleasant to be around," she said, batting her eyes, Yume giggled and Tholi smiled.

"I'll see what I can do," Tholi said.

She watched Nozomi sit back and begin playing another game of chess, a smile on her face. _She's turning into her old self again_, Tholi thought, _good_.

xxxx

It was well past midnight when they arrived, and they found their designated campsite easily; it was the only one left. With the tent set up, they began unpacking, Nozomi and Yume half asleep as they rolled out their sleeping futons. It had been a sixteen hour drive, and they had played game after game of chess the entire time. By the time they had everything set up,the clock readpast two in the morning, and they all fell gratefully asleep in no time at all.

xxxx

The morning sun found Nozomi still asleep, her blankets thrown off her in the night. She scrunched up her face at the light that poured in as someone opened the tent flaps, and she rolled over right onto the ground. She rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up, yawning.

"Morning sleepyhead," Yume said, pouring water into the washbasin, "Breakfast's in ten minutes, you'd better hurry."

She grumbled something unintelligible and got up, stretching her arms above her head. She washed her face in the basin and got dressed, looking for her other bag. She was digging for her toothbrush when Yume came back in.

"No time," she said, hastily brushing Nozomi's hair, "Put on your shoes and come on."

They walked briskly into the meeting hall and sat down with Tholi and the others. Everyone was dressed in their normal attire except Nozomi, who was wearing a lavender skirt and jacket with matching pumps. Tholi looked at her and nodded.

"The champion of the Tenkaichi Boudaki here," she whispered, "Hurcule Satan or something like that. He's going to be one of the judges."

"Publicity stunt," Yume said under her breath with an eyeroll.

"How come nobody ever asks me to do any?" Nozomi asked curiously.

"This isn't as big as the Tenkaichi Boudaki," Tholi said.

"It's because you scare people," Yume whispered with a grin.

"I do not!" Nozomi hissed.

"Girls!" Tholi warned.

Yume snickered and Nozomi glared at her. She wasn't even aware that they'd called her name until Tholi nudged her.

"They want you up there," Tholi said over the clapping.

Nozomi looked around and then got up, pulling her skirt down and walking nervously towards the stage.

xxxx

Piccolo looked around the barren wilderness as he flew slowly towards the Son residence, going over scenarios of what was going to happen and what would be asked. He was also wondering what had made him agree to train her in the first place, and especially why he'd agreed to two more years. "_Be honest, you like her, and you like living with her_."

"And here I thought you'd let me live the rest of my life in peace," he said out loud, rolling his eyes.

_"Now Piccolo, I'm just stating the obvious, she is cute after all."_

"She's fourteen."

_"And you're eighteen. Stop thinking of yourself as an old man_."

"And stop butting into my life. I thought that was one of the things we agreed you wouldn't do when I fused with you," he growled.

_"It was, but I just thought I'd offer my opinion."_

"When, and if I want it, I'll ask for it. Now, shut up and leave me alone, Nail," he growled, his thoughts suddenly silent again.

He was nearing the mountains, and he sighed, hoping Gohan would refrain from his usual curiousity for once, and knowing that was an impossible want.

xxxx

The first day of the pageant had gone well, she supposed. She had made it to the top fifty, so she would have to endure another day of rollers and eyelash curlers. She hoped she wouldn't make it to the top twenty, she really, really did. Her feet were howling with pain, and she soaked them outside the tent as Sakura brushed the curl out of her hair. Several pageant girls passed her and stuck up their noses, and Nozomi ignored them, even when some of them insulted her loudly as they passed. Yume was standing next to her as another pair passed and insulted her.

"You come here and say that you fluffy hooch!" she yelled, clenching her fist.

"Yume, don't," Nozomi and Sakura both hissed.

"What's your deal? Scared of loosing, or just mad that you look like the rear end of a dead dog?" Yume continued.

The girls turned and gave them all icy glares. Nozomi and Sakura were trying desperately to shut her up before Tholi came back.

"What? Are you afraid to come over here? You afraid I'll kick your ugly ass?" she yelled.

Nozomi covered her face with her hand and Sakura was looking around at all the people who had come to see what all the ruckus was about, turning back to Nozomi's hair and brushing vigorously. Nozomi's eyes went wide and tears formed in them, but she remained silent, biting her lip.

Tholi appeared and crossed her arms, her face a mix between amusement and chagrin. The two girls stuck their noses in the air and walked off.

"That's what I thought," Yume said, putting her hands on her hips, "Go ahead and run, you stunted hens!"

Sakura turned and saw Tholi and gasped, "Tholi!"

Yume flinched and turned around, her eyes wide in horror, Nozomi doing the same.

"And what pray tell was that about?" she asked walking forward.

"Well, you see. . ." Yume began.

"It was my fault," Nozomi said, "They were insulting me and Yume retaliated. I should be in the tent, but it's such a nice evening."

"Good one," Tholi said, looking down at her, "I'm not going to do anything this time Yume, but if you do it again, or otherwise misbehave, you'll regret it. And Nozomi, if you lie again, you're going to be punished too."

"Yes ma'am," the two girls said.

Sakura was trying not to laugh, and had a big section of Nozomi's hair up in the air, making Nozomi look idiotic. She combed it down and Tholi gave her a knowing smile, and Sakura giggled once, gaining Yume's attention. She looked at Nozomi and began to snigger.

"What?" Nozomi asked, a confused look on her face.

"You look like a poodle!" Yume said, and began laughing out loud.

"So I guess I'm the 'fluffy hooch' now huh?" she asked with mock anger.

At that they all began laughing, breaking the serious mood.

xxxx

"Piccolo, it's been a long time," Goku said, seeing Piccolo standing under the tree in his front yard, "You could have just knocked."

Gohan and Chi Chi came outside to see who he was talking to and Gohan came over to stand next to Goku.

"Hey Piccolo, how are you?" he said, smiling broadly.

"Where have you been? You missed Krillin's wedding," Goku asked, scratching his head.

"Huh?" he said looking at them.

"Krillin and 18 got married," Gohan said, "We looked everywhere to tell you, but we couldn't find you."

"So where have you been?" Goku asked again, a big dopey smile on his face, "You haven't been at the lookout according to Dende."

"Training with someone," he said, getting tense.

"Really where is he?" Goku asked, looking around.

"At a competition," he said, not bothering to correct him that the 'he' was a 'she'.

"Well, when can we meet him?" Gohan asked, a smile on his face.

"I don't know how long the competition is," he said honestly, "It could last until the end of June."

"Well then, how about the first of July then?" Goku asked, "I can call everyone and we can make it a regular reunion."

"Goku, you've forgotten," Chi Chi said, looking miffed, "Piccolo doesn't have a house, or even an address."

"Actually," he said, as if he had lost control of his mouth,raising his brow, _Why am I doing this? This is flirting with disaster!_

"Wow, you have a house!" Goku said.

"It's not mine," he said, beginning to sweat.

"Where? Chi Chi get directions!" Goku said running into the house, all of them watching him with concern.

"He's been acting weird since we wished him back," Gohan said to Piccolo, looking slightly embarrassed, "Not all the time, just sometimes. I think getting wished back more than once must mess with you for a little while. That and he apparently discovered the magic of coffee."

He chuckled and looked at Gohan for a minute, something was different about him, noticing he came up to his chest. That was it, he was taller than he remembered. Goku came running back out with a pen and a piece of paper.

"Dad, I'll do it," Gohan said, taking the pointy object away from his father and looked at Piccolo with a slight smile.

"Ready when you are," he said, pen poised above the paper.

xxxx

Nozomi suddenly sneezed and looked over at Ringo, who was looking at her through her unruly pink bangs as she took a pair of shoes out of a bag.

"You all right?" she asked, handing her shoes over.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Nozomi said, "That is weird though. Guess someone's talking about me."

"Wouldn't doubt it," Teya said,smoothing the back of the mint green dress, "You've made quite an impression on several people."

"Whoopidedoo," she said with a forced smile, "I can't get people to take me seriously as a fighter, but when I'm a performing monkey in heels they snap to attention."

"It's 'cause ya got boobs," Ringo said with a quirky smile, blowing a bubble in her gum.

They all laughed and Uta came in, "Your music's ready, you're the third person, you'd better get backstage."

"Thanks," she said and walked out, they all watched her leave and noticed how she was walking.

"And just when did she turn into a girl?" Uta, the oldest, asked.

"When she got the boobs," Ringo said, spitting out her gum and picking up an apple.

Yume rolled her eyes, "She's still Nozomi. Now come on or we'll miss it."


	12. Kaika Hasu

"That was beautiful," Yume said, running into the tent as Nozomi was getting out of her dress.

"Thanks, but I kind of have to get ready for the-" she said, picking up a sheet of paper, "Casual-wear? Who comes up with this stuff?"

"It's just to fill time, you're definitely going into the top ten," Yume said, handing her the skirt to her suit.

Nozomi sighed in aggrivation, wanting to scream.

"Guys, the girl that just went up, she's probably going to be your best competition," Sakura said as she rushed in, her flame red hair looking mussed.

"I don't care about the pageant," Nozomi growled, crossing her arms.

"No I mean the Tournament," she huffed, "Lynnis Takomae, she's been training for ten years, and she's swept every tournament she's been in so far. And get this, she's been training at Hurcule Satan's school for the past year."

"So?" Yume asked.

"So! She's probably the best fighter here other than Nozomi," Sakura said.

"Look, have you ever seen Nozomi spar? She's got this in the bag," Yume said.

"Not if she faces Takomae," Sakura said, "The media's saying that she's going to win, especially after Nozomi's last Tournament showing. No offense Nozomi."

"Don't worry about it Sakura," she said with a smile, "I'll just do my best, that will have to be enough. It'll be nice having a challenge."

Sakura looked at her and raised her eyebrows. Yume handed Nozomi her jacket and rummaged for her heels as Nozomi changed lipsticks.

"Does my hair have to be this big?" Nozomi asked, looking at it.

Sakura came over and began brushing it out, spraying detangler on it to dissolve the hair spray.

"How about a bun? You've got too much for a twist," Sakura said, reaching for a hair tie.

"Whatever, just hurry," Yume said, putting more eyeshadow on Nozomi.

"Nozomi, hurry," Uta said, running into the tent, "They're almost through with the talent."

She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror, she looked like aneighteen year old college student, not a fourteen year old fighter. She laughed and followed Uta out of the tent, still chuckling under her breath.

xxxx

"So you have to leave in two days to make it to the tournament on time?" Gohan asked between bites of food.

Piccolo only nodded, watching the toddler across from him grab a handful of food and throw it into the air.

"But it's just the preliminary fights isn't it?" Goku asked, actually taking a break from shoveling food in his mouth, "Are you afraid he won't make it?"

"I said I'd be there," he answered, watching Goku go back to inhaling his food, and then seeing the toddler doing the same.

"Goten, slow down, you're going to choke!" Chi Chi said worriedly, glaring at Goku, "Goku, you're corrupting our son!"

"Sorry, dear!" he said through a mouthful of food, making Piccolo chuckle.

xxxx

Nozomi was wiping off her makeup outside the tent when a shadow fell on the ground beside her. She turned around and saw none other than Lynnis Takomae.

"You're Nozomi Sensono, right?" she asked, putting out her hand.

"So I am," Nozomi said, wiping her hands on her jeans before she took the woman's hand. For a fighter she had remarkably soft hands, Nozomi was slightly embarrassed about hers. She had calluses from swords, reins, and everything else.

"I'm Lynnis Takomae," she said, "I was wondering if you were doing anything. No one here seems to want to be friendly."

"That's usually how it goes," Nozomi said, "I don't think I'm busy, would you like to come in?"

They went into the tent and Tholi and the others looked up and stood.

"This is Tholi Tenerife of the Solarian Temple. Yume Silverwind, Ringo Stronghilt, Uta Tenuviel, and Shitateya Goldenthread, and Sakura Thunderfist," Nozomi said, "This is Lynnis Takomae."

"I was just wondering if Nozomi could go with me into town to do some shopping," Lynnis asked.

"That's Nozomi's decision," Tholi said, sitting back down and continuing to sew something.

"Sure. Does anyone else want to go?" she asked looking around.

"Tonfa and Otaka are coming over," Tholi said with a smile, "We're going to go with them."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Nozomi asked, feeling guilty.

"I want you to have a good time. You need to get some new clothes anyway, those jeans look like you poured yourself into them," Tholi said, motioning to the skin tight pants she was wearing.

"Do you want me to get any of you anything?" she asked, watching five sets of eyebrows raise.

"Nozomi, just go and have a good time," Tholi said, "And stop worrying, both of them are going to be here for the Tournament."

xxxx

Piccolo and Goku had sparred after dinner, and when Gohan was finished with his homework he went outside and watched. He was trying to imagine the person Piccolo was training when both of them landed.

"So those larger power levels were you two?" Goku asked as he took off the top of his gi.

"Probably," Piccolo answered.

"It's not like you to hold back like that," Goku said, looking at him.

"And if I went all out with someone like I do with you and they couldn't take it, what would happen?" he asked, wondering how Gohan turned out so intelligent.

"Oh, yeah. Still, they've got a really high power level for a human. He is a human right?"

"What else would they be?" he countered, not really knowing the true answer to that question himself.

"Good point," Goku said, "Did you ever go back and get your license?"

"No," he said, glaring.

"So you live near West View City," Gohan said, quickly changing the subject,looking at some papers in his hands, "I think anyway. You're about three hundred miles from a really old temple, the Solarian Temple. It was built almost a thousand years ago. It's the main temple for the Minami-jouten religion of the sun goddess Solaria"

"I guess," Piccolo said, getting uncomfortable.

"I thought that was a dead religion?" Goku asked, gaining an amazed look from Piccolo and Gohan.

"There's still a few temples scattered throughout the world, but the Solarian Temple's famous. They hold a big tournament for war horses every five years, and the World Weapons Tournament is held during it. Apparently Minami-jouten isn't as dead as they thought it was." Gohan said, reading from a stack of papers, "And the priestesses are supposed to be fierce warriors. There was an attack at the Temple about fourteen years ago on May second, and the priestesses defeated an army of a hundred in a day. By May third the only one's left were a few of the older priestesses and the children, who actually fought at the battle. The high priestess if Tholi Tenerife."

"Tenerife, like the mercenary clan Tenerife?" Goku asked, "I think her brother fought at one of the Tenkaichi Boudaki .

"Yeah, apparently she came to the Temple the month before it was attacked. Since then the price of the Temple's horses has gone from one thousand to ten thousand zenni. The war horses are supposed to be unstoppable. You live near a living legend Piccolo," Gohan said, looking at him, "Piccolo?"

He was staring at the groung._Tholi used to be a mercenary? Fourteen years ago on May second? That meant the Temple was attacked the day after Nozomi was born. This was getting suspicious._

xxxx

Lynnis was watching Nozomi eat her fifth plate of food, casually stirring her tea. _How can anyone eat that much? _"So is Tholi your trainer, or your aunt, or what?"

Nozomi swallowed and took a breath, "Well, she was the one who taught me how to fight, but now I have a new trainer. He should be here for the finals."

"You're sure your going to the finals?" she asked with a smile.

"Positive, unless I have to fight you right off the bat," Nozomi smiled, eating her last bite of food.

"Let's hope that doesn't happen," Lynnis said, watching her reach for the dessert menu, "You're going to get dessert?"

"Yeah, do you want something?" she asked, looking for the waiter.

"No, I'm full," she said a bead of sweat popping up on her forehead, "Do you always eat like that?"

"No, I kind of wolf it down at home," she blushed.

"I meant the amount," Lynnis laughed.

"Oh," she said, blushing more, "Yeah, sometimes I eat more, it depends on how hard of a day I've had."

"And you don't gain weight?"

"Oh yeah, I've gained about twenty or thirty pounds so far," she smiled before she ordered, "And grown four inches. That's why I have to get more clothes. I've gone from a size one to a size four. I think is what Teya said."

She watched her order an enormous sundae, one with the descriptive name of 'The Big One', that if you ate it all it was free. When the waiter brought it out a few people from the kitchen followed him and they stood watching her. She was halfway through before she said anything.

"So, Lynnis," she said, "Sakura said you've been training for this for ten years?"

"Yes and no. I've been working my way up to this for five years now. I went to Hurcule Satan's school to hopefully learn something from him," she said, "And you can call me Lynn, it sounds less formal."

"Okay," she said, swallowing a huge mouthful of ice cream. Her eyes got big and then she squinted them and rubbed her forehead, "Ow, brain freeze."

Lynn began to laugh and Nozomi looked rather sheepish as she finished off the sundae.

"Okay, what else do I want?" she asked, picking up the menu.

"We better go now, the stores are going to close in another two hours," Lynn said, seeing one of the kitchen staff faint when Nozomi had spoken.

"Oh yeah. Let me see, where's my credit card?"

xxxx

Nozomi arrived back at the tent at midnight, about a dozen bags and boxes in her hands. She deposited them next to the door and waved to everyone.

"Where's Tholi?" she asked, looking around.

"Come on Nozomi," Yume grinned, "Dad's in town, and she only sees him about three times a year, where do you think she is?"

"Thanks for the picture Yume," she said.

"So what did you get?" Yume asked, coming over.

"Clothes."

"No crap, baka. I mean exactly what kind of clothes did you get?" Yume joked.

They began going through the clothes, the girls all 'oohing' and 'ahhing' when they came to something pretty. Since they were only allowed to wear tunics and pants, or gis, they loved looking at normal attire. Even their festival gowns were simple, and it was the only time they were allowed to wear white. They were forbidden to wear white or black, white was only for festivals, and black was only for the high priestess or for the members of the Order. The Order was a select group of young priestess who were experts at warfare, and it took a minimum of seven years of intense training to become a Blade of the Order.

"I love this!" Sakura said, holding up a pale pink sundress.

"Lynn said it looked good on me, so I bought it. I'll probably never wear it," she blushed.

"Oh, speaking of you in a dress," Yume said, "You made it into the top ten. So you need to decide what you want to wear tomorrow. There's two dresses left you haven't worn."

"I'm your clay," she said, "I'll wear whatever you stick me in."

"By the way, Otaka was asking about you," Uta said with a lilt in her voice.

"So," she asked, "Where is he anyway? I figured he'd be waiting to pull my hair."

"He went out with a pageant girl," Yume said, "I swear, growing another foot has boosted his ego a little too much."

"Oh come on Yume, he's hot," Teya said, then turned to Nozomi, "I mean I'm talking stud material."

"Teya that's gross," Yume said, "You're talking about my brother like he's on a breeding program or something."

They all looked at Yume and then began to laugh, waking a few people in other tents.

xxxx

"Where's your father?" Chi Chi asked as she walked into the kitchen where Gohan was doing a paper.

"Outside taking a bath," he answered, turning a page, "Mom do you think Piccolo's acting a little . . . weird?"

"You mean weirder than normal?" she asked.

"I guess," he shrugged.

"No weirder than your father acts sometimes," she said with a smile.

xxxx

Nozomi woke up when Yume pulled her blanket off of her head, and groaned at the sudden light.

"Nozomi, you've overslept, and they disqualified you from everything," Yume said, watching her shoot up.

"What! I can't believe you didn't wake me up!" she screamed looking for her clothes.

Yume began laughing, "Nozomi calm down. Lord, your uptight. You've still all day before the pageant, so calm down."

Nozomi realized what she had said and glared at her, "You are the most . . . I cannot believe you!"

"It got you up didn't it?" she asked, smiling, "Come on, get dressed, Tholi's going to be here in ten minutes and I don't want her to ream me because you're still ass-naked."

She handed her some clothes and waited while she got dressed. She had handed her the pink sundress she had gotten the night before, and when she turned around, she stared at her.

"Nozomi, that looks really good on you," she said, noticing how it hugged her body.

"Really? It's not too tight?" she asked, pulling it a bit on her flat stomach, unused to feminine clothing.

"No, I like the color too," she said, handing her a pair of sandals, "Tholi wants us to go to a spa today to relax. So you're in for it."

"I could use a massage," she said, stretching her back, "My shoulder's been aching lately."

"Well, today's the day to get it fixed. Don't put your hair up, leave it down," she said, watching her brush it, "You need it trimmed."

"I'll get some cut off of it today too," she said, "Down to my knees is a bit long. Did you see the size of my bun?"

"You mean that beehive you had stuck to the back of your head? Yeah I did. We didn't know if you wanted it cut or we would have mentioned it."

Nozomi laughed and looked herself over in the mirror. She did look rather good after all.

"Put on some makeup, lipstick at least," Yume said, handing her a tube.

"Yume, what's the deal? You've never been this concerned about my looks," she said, getting suspicious.

"Just want to see Otaka's face when he sees you. He said he bet you looked like a long legged spider," she said.

"Oh he did, did he?" she asked, then smiled, "I guess a little lipstick won't hurt."

xxxx

Piccolo woke up when Goku came outside and tried to sneak up on him. He opened his eyes to see Goku ten feet away, on tiptoe. Goku smiled sheepishly and told him that breakfast was ready, then turned and walked back into the house. Piccolo followed him and watched Gohan come down the stairs in his pajamas, which had little teddy bears on them, He smirked and when Gohan saw him, he turned red and ran back up the stairs. He came back down a moment later in normal attire, still red faced, and sat down across from his father.

xxxx

"Yume!"

Nozomi watched Yume jump and spin around, her face red.

"Otaka, would you cut that out!" she yelled.

"So where's Nozomi?" he asked, looking past her.

"Right next to me, baka," Yume said pointing at Nozomi with a thumb.

They both looked at each other and Nozomi blushed. He had gotten very handsome in the past two years, and she had once had a bit of a crush on him. He was staring at her, he never would of dreamed the skinny girl of two years ago would turn out like this! But she had the white hair and the eyes, so it had to be Nozomi.

"Nozomi? That is you isn't it?" he asked, his voice had gotten deeper too. It sent chills down her spine.

"Of course it's me, who else would I be?" she asked, pretending to be annoyed.

"Sorry, it's just that you look so," he seemed to think of a good word, "nice."

"Did you expect me to look like a dog?" she shot, crossing her arms.

"No," he said, "It's just you look really pretty, that's all."

"Oh," she said, looking at the ground, her cheeks pink, "Thank you."

Yume rolled her eyes and spotted Tholi and her father.

"Tholi, Dad, over here," she called, waving.

When they reached them, Tonfa gave Yume an enormous bear hug and looked at Nozomi.

"Well, it can't be!" he boomed, "Little No-chan all grown up."

Then he pulled her into a hug that could have crushed a small car. It never ceased to amaze her that this big bear of a man was Yume's father. He was very close to Piccolo's height and build, and dwarfed his wife and daughter. Otaka was almost as tall, but was slimmer, and did look a lot like his father; who despite his size and booming deep voice, was incredibly handsome. Tholi, being only five foot two, was at least a foot and a half shorter than him, and Yume was only five foot one.

"Well, let's find the others and get going," Tholi said brightly, "We've got a full day ahead."

"She's in such a good mood that it seems almost a shame that Dad can't live at the Temple," Yume whispered as they watched them walking away.

"Yume, Nozomi, come on!" Tholi barked.

The two girls looked at each other and smiled, jogging to catch up.


	13. The Tournament Begins

Piccolo spent the day sparring with Goku and occasionally Gohan. He was beginning to miss being around Nozomi, and though he liked Gohan and Goku, they weren't her. Goku was also making him nervous, asking him every so often about the 'person' he was training with. Still, he was leaving tonight, or tomorrow morning, he wasn't sure which. It was obvious that Chi Chi was less than enthusiastic about him being there, which was part of the reason that he wanted to leave.

He realized he was to used to being around women who didn't mind his presence. That point driven homewhen he had stood behind Chi Chi one night while she was cooking when he went to get some water. When she had turned around, she had pushed him into the living room with Goku and Gohan, obviously annoyed. He had also upset her by bringing mud into the house one day after it rained; something which Nozomijust cleaned up and didn't mention anything about. She had made him leave his shoes outside and mop it up, only after yelling at all three of them about how hard she worked all day cooking and cleaning. Goku and Gohan had taken it all in stride, used to her.After spending three years there, Piccolo had forgotten how anal she could be.

Right now he was sitting near the river, where Goku and Gohan were swimming. He hoped neither one of them was looking for fish, and was relieved when they both got out and redressed, then laid in the sun next to him.

"So Piccolo, are you going tonight or tomorrow?" Gohan asked, looking over at him.

"I haven't decided," he said, closing his eyes.

"You do know where it is right?" Goku asked, staring at the clouds.

"Of course I do," he said, wondering why he bothered answering such an asinine question.

"I looked up the Temple you live near again, and it turns out that you live thirty miles away if you go across country, and a four hour drive if you take the road. Apparently the Temple owns all the land from the mountain range to the ocean," Gohan said, "Except for where the city isand where you live."

"Gohan got a new computer for his birthday," Goku said, "The other one got the flu."

"A virus dad," Gohan said, "Anyway, the Solarian Temple sponsors that fighter we saw two years ago, what was her name? That's weird, I can't remember."

"The really cute one with the white hair?" Goku asked, finally looking at them.

Piccolo was beginning to sweat.

"Yeah, her. Dad, did you just saw the 'really cute one'?"

"You agreed with me," he grinned.

"I mean she was the one with the white hair. I thought she was too skinny," Gohan said.

_Wait until you see her now_, Piccolo thought grimly.

"She's what? Sixteen? Teenage girls are supposed to be skinny," Goku said with a shrug.

"It didn't say how old she was. I could look it up if I could just remember her name," Gohan said.

xxxx

Nozomi sneezed again and rubbed her nose. Everyone looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"People usually don't sneeze in a sauna," Yume said.

"I don't know," Nozomi shrugged, "Isn't that supposed to happen when someone's talking about you?"

"No your ears itch," Ringo said, "Sneezing means you have a cold."

"I don't have a cold, and I don't have allergies," Nozomi sighed, "I think maybe it just happens, like the hiccups, only I sneeze."

"That bites", Teya said, pouring more water on the stones.

"Language, Teya. Nozomi, how old do you have to be to get a motorcycle license?" Tholi asked.

"I think you can get one at fifteen. Fourteen here," she said, "Why?"

"I just think it's a waste of money to keep getting your groceries delivered when you can go get them yourself," Tholi said, "You could get a storage capsule and put groceries in it, or get a sidecar."

"Tholi, is the steam getting to you?" Yume asked.

"I just think it's time Nozomi was able to actually go somewhere rather than being stuck at her house," Tholi said, "So tomorrow, I'm going to take her and we're going to look for some kind of vehicle."

They all stared at her, had she just said what they thought she had said? First she had agreed to let Nozomi get her ears pierced for the second time if she won the tournament, and had let her get her cartilage pierced that day. Now she was talking about taking Nozomi to get a motorcycle?

"Okay who are you and what have you done with my mother?" Yume asked.

"Watch it, or you'll be running for the rest of the day. Or I'll make you balance a bucket of water on your head again," she said, giving her a stern look.

x

After they left the spa, Nozomi felt completely relaxed. She had forgotten how nice civilization was, wondering what Piccolo was up to, and when he was going to finally show up. When they got back to the tent they had to scramble to get Nozomi ready for the pageant. Otaka and Tonfa had already gone in and gotten seats close to the front, and Tonfa had Tholi's video camera with him. Otaka was looking around for any sign of Nozomi, when Tholi suddenly appeared next to him.

"Looking for someone?" she smiled.

"No," he blushed.

"Uh huh," she smiled and turned to her large husband, who was smiling knowingly.

As the girls walked out on stage, Tholi turned on her camera and handed it to Tonfa, knowing he could see above the heads of the people in front of him. Nozomi walked out in the deep red dress and stood next to Lynn, who grinned at her. Tholi watched her look around and then spot them, and she smiled. Lynn leaned over and whispered something to her, and they both laughed, the other girls turning and looking disapprovingly at them. When the final five were called, Nozomi and Lynn had both made it. Nozomi looked a little disappointed, and Otaka asked why.

"She hoped she'd be eliminated," Tholi said, "Unfortunately her competitive streak doesn't include beauty pageants."

The girls exited and there was a short break while they got ready for the talent portion. Nozomi was scurrying back to the tent when Lynn passed her.

"Good luck," she said.

"Thanks, you to," Nozomi replied back.

The night wore on until it was finally time for the crowning. The other three girls were pageant people, and when each one was eliminated, they gave dirty looks to Nozomi and Lynn. Finally there were three girls left, and the other girl was given third place. Nozomi and Lynn looked at each other and tried not to laugh.

"The winner of this year's Ms. World is. . ." the announcer began, pulling open an envelope, "Lynnis Takomae!"

Lynn hugged her and Nozomi began laughing as Lynn turned and began waving.

Nozomi and Lynn met Tholi and the others at the tent, while other girls were walking by and throwing hateful looks their way.

Nozomi grinned, and then tripped, "Get me out of these heels!"

"I'll see you tomorrow morning," Lynn said, walking off.

"Bye!" Nozomi called, feeling Yume pull her into the tent.

xxxx

Nozomi was the first one awake the next morning, and when she left the tent she noticed that it was still dark. She walked to the top of the stadium to watch the sunrise, sitting in the bleachers of the nose bleed section. She realized someone was standing behind her andsmiled, "I was beginning to think you weren't coming.".

"I told Tholi I'd be here," Piccolo said, coming to stand beside her.

"It's going to be a nice day. You could have stayed with your friends until the first, that's the day of the championship," she said.

"A bit arrogant aren't we?" he asked, looking down at her. She had cut her hair, and was there a ring in the top of her ear?

"The line between confidence and arrogance is as thin as the edge of a good blade," she said,"Crossing to one side of it is often easier than balancing on it."

He chuckled and looked back at the horizon.

"Ancient people believed the sun was pulled across the sky by a chariot drawn by horses made of fire," she said, hugging her knees, "And that a chariot made of ivory drawn by deer pulled the moon."

"You never told me Tholi was a former mercenary," he said, plunging into his interrogation.

"You never asked."

"You also never told me on the day she found you there was a battle at the Temple," he added.

"Again,you've never really asked me anything about myself," she shrugged, "I wasn't going to just tell you those kinds of things. It's not a general topic of conversation."

"What time's the first match?" he asked, seeing he wasn't going to get any answers.

"In about thirty minutes, they group us into four blocks, like the Tenkaichi Boudaki. That way this only lasts a few days instead of a month."

"There you are, I've looked all over for you. Tholi said you might be here," a voice said from behind them.

They both turned and Piccolo realized he had no clue who this purple haired woman was.

"Hey, you're up early," Nozomi said, standing up.

"Their getting ready to divide us up, we need to get going," the woman said, then looked at him, "Who's this?"

"This is Piccolo, my trainer," she said, "Piccolo, this is Lynn Takomae."

"Charmed, now come on girl, we gotta move," Lynn said, grabbing Nozomi and running off.

"Tell Tholi where I am please!" Nozomi called back.

He watched Lynn drag Nozomi down the stairs and smiled, _What am I worried about? It surely isn't going to be that bad_. Wait, he hadn't counted on Vegeta, or Master Roshi for that matter. He inhaled deeply and went to find Tholi.

x

"No, they're in the other bag. Yes, that one. What do you mean they're not in there?" Tholi yelled, her head between the tent flaps.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, watching Tholi pull her head out of the tent.

"Just fine. Yume can't find Nozomi's other gis," Tholi said, "Apparently, we left her competition gi at the Temple."

"How many pairs of underwear can one person need!" he heard Yume yell, "Oh my god! Tholi, she bought a thong!"

"Yume, Piccolo's out here," she said loudly, her brows furrowing in exhasperation.

"Oh. Ha! Found them, they were under all her new clothes," Yume said, coming out of the tent with several silk shirts, "What do you think?"

She held one up, and he saw the Temple's emblem on the front, it looked like an ordinary gi to him.

"Wait a minute," Yume said and turned it around, "Ta da! Did we get it right?"

He stared at his name on the back of the top; well, actually it was the symbol that he had put on Gohan's gi when he was training him.

"Yeah," he said quietly, watching Yume and Tholi look at each other.

"You're the trainer, what color?" Yume asked.

There was a black one, an emerald green one, a deep blue one, and a wine red one.

"I don't know," he said, "I'm not a woman, how should I know?"

"The black one Yume," Tholi smiled, "Nozomi's worn black at every Tournament so far, but we'll let her decide when it comes time."


	14. Day One

Oh, btw, Kaika Hasu means 'blooming lotus'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The preliminary positions had been drawn. Nozomi was in the first block, tenth round; and Lynn was in the fourth block, fifth round.They stood along the wall and talked, watching and sizing up the competitors. There were several very good fighters this year, and the competition was going to be excellent.

"There's more people here than the last time," Nozomi commented, looking over at the match chart, "This may just get to be as popular as the Tenkaichi Boudaki."

"Have you been to the Tenkaichi Boudaki?" Lynn asked.

"No, maybe eventually. I think next time Piccolo's going to enter, and I heard the competition's really fierce. I'm not ready yet, when I get to Piccolo's level, maybe I'll enter, but right now this is where I am," she said.

"You don't act like a fourteen year old," Lynn said.

Nozomi smiled, she was used to being told that she acted much older than she was, "I get that a lot. Then again, Yume doesn't act like she's thirteen. You don't act your age when you have a job to do."

"But don't you ever have any fun?" Lynn asked, her nose wrinkled in confusion.

"Sure, training's fun. And when I'm at the Temple I go riding and have my weaponry lessons," she said naively.

"I mean real fun, like shopping, go out with boys, drink, go to clubs," Lynn said.

"I shop occasionally, boys don't notice me, and I wasn't old enough to drink by Temple law until my birthday, and Piccolo would kill me if I went to a club," she said, "At least I think he would. I don't know, I've never been. Don't you have to be eighteen to even enter a club?"

"Seventeen," Lynn said, "But you look it if you wear makeup. And boys do notice you, you just haven't realized it yet. Still, you have an odd sense of what is fun. I like training, but I'd never rank it up there with buying shoes."

"Suit yourself," Nozomi smiled, "I think you're up next."

xxxx

The day passed by slowly, Nozomi and Lynn moving up on the board. At the lunch break, everyone watched Nozomi shovel down plate after plate of food, wondering where it all went, and noticed Piccolo was just drinking water. Nozomi was about to stick a whole riceball in her mouth when Tholi narrowed her eyes at her.

"It'd be a shame if you choked, died, and the announcement was made that: 'Due to an errant rice ball, Nozomi Sensono is dead due to her own gluttony'," she said dryly, seeing Piccolo smirk around his glass.

Nozomi blushed and took a small bite, chewing it thoroughly before she swallowed, andPiccolo suddenly found a plate in his face.

"Here," Yume said, "You better eat before Nozomi finishes off everything."

"I'm not hungry," he said, wondering what these women's obsession with forcing food on him was.

"C'mon, Tholi made it, so you know it's safe," she urged, "Everything needs food every once in a while.

He picked up a riceball and began eating it slowly, watching Nozomi take a huge bite out of hers.She reached and grabbed two apples, and ate one ina singlebite.

"Chew Nozomi," Tholi said, closing her eyes in frustration.

"Sorry Tholi," she murmered with her mouth full.

"And don't speak with your mouth full!" Tholi added, an eye beginning to twitch.

"Okay," Nozomi said, her cheeks bulging.

"If the judges of the pageant ever saw her eat, she'd be eliminated immediately," Yume said to Lynn.

"Hey, maybe I should eat for my talent next year," Nozomi said brightly, grabbing a peach.

"No, you will not!" Tholi said, "You will conduct yourself as a lady!"

"This is Nozomi we're talking about," Yume said with a small smile.

"Five miles, now!" Tholi yelled at her.

"Yes ma'am," Yume sighed, getting up.

She walked off and Tholi scowled at Nozomi, "You want to try for ten?"

"No, that's all right," Nozomi said, putting the whole peach in her mouth and wincing as she bit the stone.

Tholi sighed and shook her head.

xxxx

Both womenmade it to the semi-finals, facing different opponenets. Nozomi was facing a humongous woman who looked more like a man than a woman, and Lynn was facing the woman Nozomi had beaten the year before. Nozomi's match was first in the day, and Lynn's was the third match.

"It's been a good day," Nozomi said, stretching her arms over her head.

"It has," Lynn agreed, "Hey, let's go out and celebrate."

"Celebrate? Like, light fireworks or something?" Nozomi asked.

"No, we can all go out for a night on the town," she said, "I met this guy who knows about this really great club-"

"Hold on, I'm fourteen, there's no way Tholi's going to let me go to a nightclub.Alone," she said as they walked to Nozomi's tent.

When they arrived, Otaka was standing there talking to Tholi, and Nozomi looked around for Piccolo. Tholi spotted her and smiled, making Otaka turn around.

"Nozomi there you are!" he said, coming over, "How would you like to go out tonight?"

"Huh?" Nozomi asked, her eyes widening.

Piccolo walked out of the tent and looked over at them.

"Would you like to go out with me tonight?" Otaka repeated, slowly.

"Go out? Like on a date?" Nozomi replied, looking as if she had been shot.

Lynn nudged her and she looked at her, her mouth open. Lynn raised her eyebrows and mmuttered something at her.

"Yeah, like on a date," Otaka said, beginning to get disheartened. This was the first time a girl had taken this long to answer him.

"Uh," Nozomi looked around at Tholi, who shrugged, "Sure, I guess. Why not."

"Great," he said, "I'll be back in an hour."

He walked off and she looked at Piccolo, who was looking at her with a raised brow. This was the first time he had seen her speechless, and she looked quite funny.

"Someone tell me what just happened," Nozomi said, looking around, still in shock.

"Whoo, go Nozomi!" Teya said, giving her a big grin.

"You just agreed to go out with Otaka," Uta said, with a smirk, "The boy that only two years ago you said you wanted to cut up and feed to a wolverine."

"I cannot believe you said yes," Yume said stunned and a little angry at losing her only ally in the constant war with her brother.

"Neither can I," Nozomi said, turning pink.

"Better get cleaned up," Lynn said, "You can't smooch somebody smelling like dirt and sweat."

"I'm not smooching anyone!" Nozomi yelled, stomping into the tent.

"What's with Nozomi?" Ringo asked walking out and narrowly missing being trampled as Nozomi passed her.

"She has a date," Teya said with a grin.

"Oh my god!" Ringo said, "With who?"

"Otaka," Yume growled.

"Holy Goddess!" Ringo said, "Are you serious!"

"Dead," Yume said, a scowl on her face, "Dead serious."

"Woo woo! Nozomi's first date!" Ringo said, going back into the tent. They could hear her talking to Nozomi inside.

"NO WAY AM I DOING **THAT**!" they heard Nozomi scream before Ringo flew back out.

"What did you say?" Tholi asked.

Ringo only smirked, making them all laugh.

xxxx

The next morning, Nozomi had to endure the teasing of her friends, and only Tholi and Piccolo failed to join in the torture. Yume refusing to join because she was still sore about the whole thing. Nozomi made it worse, because she was incredibly easy to tease, and blushed just as quick as she got angry. Tholi made them stop an hour before the match, saying she needed to concentrate. Lynn arrived shortly after that and the girls crowded around her, wanting to know what had happened.

"Absolutely nothing happened," Lynn said, "They danced like two times and that was it.It was boring actually, like watching mold grow. He'd try something and she'd move away, or turn and pretend to be looking at something."

"That's Nozomi for you," Sakura said.

"That does sound like Nozomi," Yume said, smiling happily.

"Where is she anyway?"

"She's in the tent. Tholi's making us leave her alone. They've been teasing her the whole morning," Yume said, motioning at the others with her head.

"Can I go in and see her?"

"Sure, just don't mention last night," Ringo said rubbing a knot on her head, "She'll fly off the handle."

Lynn walked in and saw Nozomi and Tholi playing chess. They both looked up and smiled.

"Hey, you ready?" she asked Nozomi.

"I think so," Nozomi answered, moving one of her pawns, "If you're opponent gets you on the ground, don't take your eyes off of her until you're on your feet. She'll hit you while you're down. I fought her last year."

"Really? How about her fighting style?"

"None to speak of, more towards boxing," Nozomi said, looking intently at the board, "Her kicks are weak and she stays on her heels, at least she did last year. Her punches are what you need to watch out for, especially her right jab. But she uses a lot of hook punches."

"Any uppercuts?" Lynn asked, sitting down.

"No, not last time. She tries to keep you near arm's length, if you move in on her she moves back. Check," she said.

"Do you know anything about your opponent?"

"Very little," Nozomi said, "Other than she has a five o'clock shadow, and if you get in too close she'll put you in a hold or joint lock."

"That's vague."

"That's how I like it. That way you're not trying to anticipate anything, you just fight," Nozomi smiled, "Checkmate."

x

Nozomi was trying to convince Lynn to let her teach her to play chess when the announcement was made for the fighters to come to the stadium. They got up and left, walking through the growing crowd. They walked into the contestant's entrance and waited in the cool shade of the archway, out of the hot sun.

"It's going to be really hot today," Lynn said, "Radio said probably in the high ninties."

They called Nozomi's name and she gave Lynn a small smile before walking back into the searing glare; squinting for a moment before her eyes adjusted. She walked over to the ring, which they had apparently tried to cover with sand earlier, but it had been packed back to hard earth. She looked at her opponent and saw that she did indeed have a five 'clock shadow, and an adam's apple to boot. She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head a little, studying her. The woman was glaring at her, obviously offended.

"Round one will be between Amazonia and the Four Time World Champion Nozomi Sensono!" the loudspeakers boomed. The crowd roared and Nozomi continued to look at her opponent, who was now clenching her fists.

"You're going down girlie!" she yelled, her voice was very odd, like she was trying to speak in a high falsetto.

Nozomi smiled politely and told her good luck, which seemed to infuriate her more. When the gong rang she rushed at Nozomi, who in one smooth motion, kicked her in the face and knocked her out.

The crowd roared and she went over and stood at the woman's head.

"Are you okay?" she asked, and noticed that her hair had apparently came loose.

Nozomi reached down and pulled it gently, and came up with a brown wig.

"Nozomi Sensono wins by a knockout in five seconds! She has just set a new tournament record!" the loudspeaker boomed again.

Nozomi looked around and then realized that her opponent was getting up, and that they had a head full of black hair. It was obviously a man, and he stared down at Nozomi, who held up the wig.

"You dropped something," she said, handing it back and walking off.

The man quickly put it back on as the crowd laughed, and ran out of the stadium as quickly as possible. Nozomi walked back to stand with Lynn and smiled. Lynn and the other contestants were busy staring at her. Who had ever heard of a fight lasting only five seconds? After the next match, Nozomi's opponent was going to be a very tall woman who looked a bit like a gorilla. Lynn won hers easily and her opponent was going to be a very shady looking woman with a mohawk. There was a lunch break and they met Tholi and the others, who began laughing when they spotted them.

"Imagine, a man dressing up in a wig and a skirt just to fight at a tournament," Tholi said, "Even worse was you knocked him out in a matter of seconds."

"I have Piccolo to thank for that," she said shyly, "Where is he anyway?"

"Behind you."

She turned and smiled up at him, "So how did I do?"

"All you did was kick once," he said, "Not much to tell if you ask me."

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes, "I'll hold back some."

"I didn't say do that," he said.

"Then what would you suggest?" she asked, getting angry.

"Thinking," he said, "That man would have just ran out of the ring if you'd moved out of the way, if he had hit you, you would have flown out of the ring."

"Okay," Nozomi said, "Right."

"I'm saying think a little," he said, "Watch your opponent for a while before you make a move."


	15. An Early Cup of Coffee

Nozomi stared up at the gorilla woman, wondering how in hell she got so tall. When the gong rang she just stood there, still staring, as the woman clasped her hands and brought them down like a hammer towards Nozomi's head. At the last minute, Nozomi moved out of the way and felt the ground shake as her fists hit.

"What in hell is she doing?" Piccolo asked, looking at Tholi.

"What you told her to do," Tholi smirked, "Sometimes Nozomi amazes me by being completely naive and, let's see, stupid. That's why I never tell her to do anything, because she takes everything literally fifty percent of the time."

Nozomi stepped out of the way again as the woman slammed her fists down again.

"Is that all you're going to do?" she asked, holding the woman's fist down for a second.

"What!" the woman yelled, her ape-like face turning purple with rage, "Why you little!"

She tried to lift her fists and Nozomi held them down easily, a slight smile on her face. She was really having fun now, this was a lot better than buying shoes.

"Let go of me!" The woman bellowed.

"Okay," Nozomi shrugged, doing just that.

The woman went flying backwards, and landed on her butt, looking murderous. Nozomi watched her get up and smiled again, putting her hands behind her back.

"Oh good god," Tholi groaned, "Don't tell me she's doing this."

"Tholi, what is she doing?" Yume asked, watching Nozomi put her hands behind her back.

"She's teasing her," Tholi answered, "I hope she knows what she's doing, because this could be very bad."

She looked at Piccolo and saw he had a slight smirk on his face, and when he looked over at her, he shrugged his shoulders.

Nozomi rocked back on her heels and grinned like a cat, enjoying herself as the woman got madder and madder. The woman charged her and threw a punch at her stomach. Nozomi jumped and leapfrogged over her, smacking her in the face with both hands as she did. Caught off guard, the woman fell on her face, and Nozomi landed on one foot and turned around.

"Aren't you going to do anything?" the woman yelled at her, "Or are you just going to play around all day?"

"Do you really want me to do something?" she asked, a smirk on her face.

"Will you stop playing and do something already?" the woman yelled.

"Okay," Nozomi said, and suddenly disappeared.

"Huh?"

She reappeared on the woman's head and gave her a big grin before she flipped backwards and kicked her out of the ring, ending the match. The crowd roared and the loudspeakers announced her win as she walked back over to Tholi and Piccolo. Tholi looked ready to pop, and Piccolo was trying hard not to smile.

"What in hell was that?" Tholi yelled, "Do you realize how risky that was?"

"She was too slow to touch me," Nozomi said, "I was just having some fun Tholi."

"Nozomi Sensono! How many times have I told you that showing off should **not** be fun!" Tholi yelled, not realizing Yume and the others were rolling with laughter.

"I'm sorry," Nozomi said, but she'd had too much fun to feel chastized.

She glanced at Piccolo and noticed that the corner of his mouth was turned up just a little bit, and smiled.

"And what's with the wolf grin?" Tholi asked, "You haven't done that in years."

Nozomi shrugged and smiled again, a big toothy smile. Piccolo noticed that her canines were rather pronounced; not quite fangs, but very close. She closed her mouth again and yawned, and he noticed the bottom ones were the same way.

"Wolf grin's right," Yume said, "Nozomi you've got regular fangs in your mouth."

"I do not," she said, "They're just abnormally large, and I like them. So does my dentist, he thinks they're neat."

"They are, they just make you look even more like a cat or a fox when you smile," Teya said.

"Lynn's up," Nozomi said eagerly.

The girl Lynn was fighting was Nozomi's height and close to her build, and had a spiky black mohawk. she was rather unsavory, and had been close to getting in several fights out of the ring. The gong sounded and the match began, both women jumping at each other. It was very fast paced, and Lynn was busy blocking punches and kicks for the first minute, seeing if she could wear her down. Nozomi was on edge, their was no rhyme or reason in the way the other girl fought, she just lashed out everywhere. It was the hardest kind of opponent to face, because you never knew what they'd do. Nozomi watched Lynn punch her in the stomach once and then elbow her in the back as she moved passed her. The girl rolled back to her feet and Lynn started to do a wheel kick to her shoulder.

"No," Piccolo heard Nozomi gasped, and looked at her before he looked back.

The girl had waited for the kick to connect, the rammed down on Lynn's knee, tearing all the ligaments in it. Lynn screamed in pain and fell to the ground, unable to get back up. Nozomi started to run forward, but Piccolo grabbed her arm.

"Let go of me, she needs my help," she said, jerking out of his grasp.

"You're not going to help her by getting disqualified and letting the other girl win," Piccolo said harshly.

Nozomi stopped in her tracks and fought back tears of frustration; she couldn't just stand here, Lynn was her friend, and she needed her help. She concentrated on the ringside official, waiting for him to end the fight. Lynn held her leg and groaned, knowing it was all over.

"I give," she said, hearing the gong ring like it was a death call.

Nozomi ran over to her and helped her up, when she was aware that the other girl was talking to her.

"You'll get that and a whole lot more tomorrow," she sneered.

"We'll see," Nozomi said, helping Lynn out of the ring seeing the medics coming towards them.

xxxx

The ambulance drove off silently, it wasn't a dire emergency after all. Nozomi watched it go and sighed, looking at the asphalt of the parking lot. Tholi came up beside her and put her arm around her shoulders.

"That's it for her career isn't it?" Nozomi asked.

"Probably," Tholi said, "That's a hard injury to get over."

"Can't I help her?" Nozomi asked, pulling away.

"Think Nozomi, things happen for a reason. She didn't get hurt because she made a bad decision, she got hurt because you weren't supposed to face each other," Tholi said, "There's no shame in being injured in a tournament. Lynn knew it was over, and you knew it was over before she even picked up her foot, I know you did."

Nozomi looked back at the stadium, and saw Piccolo standing ten feet behind them. She sighed and looked back at Tholi.

"It could to get ugly tomorrow," she said.

"Just don't loose your head and do something you'll regret," Tholi said, reaching up and tucking a strand of Nozomi's hair back behind her ear, "Get changed and we'll go get her some flowers."

She smiled and walked past Piccolo, who watched her leave.

"She's got a big heart," Tholi said, going to stand next to him, "She hates to see people in pain. What do you think of her chances?"

"She can win," Piccolo said, "She's worked too hard not too. What it's going to come down to is discipline. She knows herself to know how far she can go. The other girl was lucky today, she was tired when Lynn threw that kick, but it missed it's mark by an inch, and it cost her."

"You saw that too. If she had turned her hip just a hair's breadth, she'd still be in the competition and the other girl would have a broken collarbone. Odd how something so small can make such a big difference," Tholi said, "I think Nozomi has an idea of what she's going to do."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because knowing Nozomi, she memorized something in that whirl of nothing today, and she'll be waiting for anything familiar to come up. She waits and watches, and then when she sees a pattern she waits for the break, then it's all over," Tholi said, "It's why I always make sure Nozomi goes on the hunts before a festival, she ends up getting twice the amount of game as anyone else. She memorizes the animal's movement patterns, and then waits."

"I've noticed that," he said.

"I know," she smiled, "She said you keep changing how you spar with her, it drives her nuts."

"She's caught me off guard a few times," he admitted, "But she leaves herself open when she does."

"That's her biggest problem," Tholi nodded, "I've knocked her to the ground at least a hundred times when she goes to move in on what she thinks is an opening."

"I'll have to remember that," he said.

"I think you knew it already. She may catch you off guard, but you throw it right back," Tholi said, "You ought to consider taking up a weapon."

He looked down at her and smiled, "Who says I haven't?"

"Your hands," she said, "Look at Nozomi's sometime. The callouses on the heel of her palms and from her middle finger along the ball of her hand are from sparring and blocking; the ones below her index fingers are from reins; and the ones between her thumbs and index fingers are from the hilt of a sword. You've only got them on the heels and balls of your hands, and your fingertips, which means you manipulate your inner ki. Am I wrong?"

"No," he said.

Nozomi came back towards them, dressed in jeans and a blue fitted tee shirt. She adjusted her new purse on her arm and smiled at them.

"Your jeans are too big," Tholi said, looking at them.

"I know, I got them in a bigger size in case I gained anymore weight," she said, "I figured it'd be easier than buying new jeans in a month."

xxxx

Nozomi and Tholi left for the hospital and came back two hours later, both of them looking grim.

"What's wrong?" Yume asked, seeing them.

"Lynn's never going to be able to fight again," Tholi said, "The doctors said she'd be lucky if she can walk without a limp."

Nozomi just walked past them all and went to bed, not wanting to talk to anyone. She lay awake the whole night, thinking things over in her head. She woke up before dawn and got dressed, wanting to be doing something. She had all day to think about what might happen if she lost, and what she had to loose. She opened the tent flaps and turned and looked at the sleeping forms of her friends. She tied them back and turned around, spotting Piccolo sitting on the ground to her right.

"You should be in bed, you didn't get any sleep," he said quietly.

"I wouldn't get any sleep now anyway," she said, "I'm too worried. What if something goes wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong if you concentrate on what your doing, and not why you're doing it," he said, getting up.

"You want to go have coffee?" she asked.

"You know I don't drink it."

"Then get a water and I'll have coffee," she said, walking away.

They walked to a little all night diner and sat in a booth, Piccolo's cape taking up the entire bench. The waitress looked at the both of them for a moment before she left to get their order, and when she came back she looked between them again. They were both silent the entire time, and by the time they left, the sun was up, and they met Tholi coming out of the tent, still in her dressing gown.

"Leave a note next time you wander off at dawn," she said grumpily, going back inside.

x

After everyone was up and dressed, they went to breakfast, and were stunned when Nozomi said she wasn't hungry. Yume had tried to get her to eat, but all Nozomi had was a piece of toast, making everyone uneasy. If she didn't eat she'd be too tired by that evening to compete. She moped around the rest of the day, and ate a sandwich at lunch, but still seemed preoccupied. Half an hour before the fight she began to get tense, bouncing her leg in nervous agitation.

"Nozomi, calm down," Tholi said, watching her chomp on her gum.

"I'm trying to," Nozomi said dryly, "hence the gum in my mouth."

By the time someone came for her, Nozomi was standing in the tent bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, clenching and unclenching her fists. Tholi didn't like how this was looking at all, Nozomi never had to psyche herself up.

"Are you scared?" Tholi asked.

"No," Nozomi said, "I'm trying to concentrate."

Tholi smiled and watched her walk out of the tent, then followed her.


	16. Back Home

"And now . . . introducing . . . the Four Time Champion of the Women's World Tournament . . . Nozomi . . . Sensono!"

Nozomi walked out into the sunlight looking more confident that she felt, and didn't hear the roar of the crowd. All she heard was her breath, and all she saw was that small dirt square, all in vivid detail. Her opponent was sneering at her, and she fixed her with her icy gaze and smirked when she looked away. No one was ever really able to stare her down, and she often just looked away to save someone from embarrassment if it happened unintentionally. Not today, today she would prove who was dominant here, what was dominant here. She waited, her ears straining for the gong, keeping her eyes fixed on her target.

When it sounded she waited, watching the girl fly at her, limbs flailing around. Nozomi blocked all of them, hard, knowing that a solid block was just as good as a hard hit. The other girl was getting madder, and pulled her arm back to throw a punch, leaving her side open. Nozomi elbowed her in the ribs and used her momentum to get behind her, watching her stagger from the blow. The girl turned around and came at her again, and Nozomi waited. The other girl was wearing down, and Nozomi wasn't even breathing hard. The hits all missed their marks and she finally jumped back, panting and glared at Nozomi.

"I'll let you catch your breath," Nozomi said, "You're getting tired."

"Bullshit," the girl spat, "When I'm through with you, you won't be able to walk."

"We'll see," she said, crossing her arms. The girl flew at her again and she simply stuck out her leg and tripped her, watching her fall on her face.

"You were lucky yesterday," Nozomi said, her back to the other girl, "But you're lack of self control is going to get you hurt."

"I'll show you hurt," the girl said, flying at her again.

Nozomi waited and went to flip over her head, grabbing her by her shirt and taking her with her. She slammed the girl on the ground and stepped back, looking down. The girl opened her eyes and made a grab for Nozomi's leg. She jumped out of reach, crossing her arms again. The girl got up and rushed her again, andNozomi waited and grabbed the her fist. The other one came at her face and she grabbed it too, rolling back and planting her foot squarely in the girl's stomach, and kicked her out of the ring, rolling to her feet and dusting herself off. The girl landed with a thud and a loud snap.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner, and Five Time Champion, Nozomi Sensono!"

The crowd roared and she bowed, turning to look at the girl. Her leg was bent at an odd angle, and Nozomi walked over.

"Learn how to fall next time," she said, walking to the Judge's stand.

xxxx

"You actually said that!" Lynn said, looking at Nozomi in disbelief.

"Yeah," Nozomi said, her face red.

"Nozomi can be pretty mean when she wants to be," Yume said, "How's the outlook?"

"Doctor says that after a few surgeries and some intense physical therapy, I should be all right, " Lynn said, "But I'll never be able to fight again. Guess I'll have to find something else I'm good at."

"I'm sure you will," Nozomi smiled, "Keep in touch okay."

"You too," she said, "And Nozomi . . ."

Nozomi turned around and saw Lynn's hand outstretched, "Thanks."

Nozomi smiled and shook her hand, then changed her mind and hugged her. They all said their good-byes and walked out of the room. Nozomi looked at Piccolo, who was leaning against the opposite wall. She walked over and looked down at the floor for a moment.

"I guess this is good-bye," she said looking up at him.

"After today? You've got to be kidding, that was the worst excuse of a fight I've ever seen. You're just stuck with me," he said, walking out.

Tholi looked at her and winked, and Nozomi smiled before Yume grabbed her around the neck.

"Come on, time for the victory party!" she said, dragging her away.

xxxx

Their first stop was the local DMV, where Nozomi got a motorcycle license, then to a vehicle dealership, where Nozomi bought a used Capsule Corp. motorcycle and sidecar. She got a better deal on it by Tholi pointing out that the carburetor was shot and the engine was missing a spark plug, and they offered to replace the engine for free when she asked them if they were trying to rip her off. She got it back an hour later, and as Tholi pretended to inspect it, they gave her a helmet free of charge, saying they were sorry for the inconvenience. She smiled at Tholi, and encapsulated it, putting it in her purse.

Then they went and Nozomi got her ears pierced again, making it the second set she had gotten. They went to lunch, and Tholi relented and let them all get a beer, laughing as they toasted each other. She was paying close attention to the way Otaka was looking at Nozomi, and realized that there was probably something there. He hadn't gotten to see her since the night they'd gone out, and she had been quick to notice that he tried to sit next to her.

They were about to leave, and Tholi was talking to Tonfa, both of them holding hands, when Otaka came over to Nozomi and Yume.

"Nozomi, I was wondering, you know. If I'm ever in town, would you like to, maybe, go to dinner with me?" he asked, feeling like a goof around her.

"Well, sure. I guess so," she said, looking at Yume who was rolling her eyes, "I'd love too."

"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow night," he said, then waved, "Bye."

"Bye," she said, wiggling her fingers.

"Bye big brother who I never see!" Yume yelled.

"Bye bratty little sister!" Otaka called back.

Yume stuck out her tongue at him and turned to Nozomi, "What changed your mind?"

"About what?" she asked.

"Come on Nozomi," Yume pressed.

"He's cute all right," she admitted, turning pink, "And he was really nice, for once. I was totally shocked."

"I am too, he usually ends up sleeping with his dates. And I'm not saying that just to say that," she said, "He told me. Not that I really wanted to know about his sex-life, but I found out anyway."

Nozomi laughed and saw that Tholi was ready, "Is Piccolo riding back with us?"

"No, he said he'd meet you there," she said.

"All right," Nozomi said unenthusiastically, climbing into the van, "he leaves me with all the luggage and flies off to a locked house in the middle of nowhere."

xxxx

They dropped Nozomi off first, saying that Kosui would bring Siren back the next day. She waved to them until the rear lights disappeared in the dark night, and began dragging her luggage in. She turned on the living room light and screamed, waking Piccolo up.

"How in hell did you get in here?" she asked, holding her chest.

"Through your balcony," he smirked, "You forgot to lock it."

"You could have turned on the lights," she said, "I think I peed my pants!"

He began chuckling and then actually laughed. She looked at him, this was the first time he had shown any obvious signs of amusement. She smiled and began laughing too, it was infectious, and soon she felt like she really was going to pee. She ran into the bathroom and emerged a few minutes later, sighing in relief.

"That was a long drive," she yawned, flopping on the couch, "Did you enjoy your break, I never got to ask you."

"I suppose," he said, then heard a loud rumble.

"Oops," Nozomi said, getting up, "Do you want anything?"

He shook his head and watched her walk out, actually glad to be back.


	17. The Waiting Game

It was a remarkably beautiful day; a nice, cool breeze was blowing through the trees, and it was pleasantly cool in the shade. But despite the shade, Piccolo was sweating, more out of nerves than anything. It was July 1, and the night before he had gotten a call from Goku while Nozomi was in the shower. He still hadn't told her anything about it, but she had noticed he was getting edgier. She had gone to town earlier to get groceries, and had left him alone, alone except for the horses anyway. When Kosui had arrived, she had brought not only Siren, but another horse. A big, dapple gray mare named Kumori. Tholi apparently wanted Nozomi to work with her, Kosui said something about her being 'green-broke', but she looked neither green nor like she was broken.

Nozomi had laughed and told him that it meant all she knew was how to be saddled, mounted, and how to turn. So Nozomi's nights were spent trying to work with the horse, with turned out to be an idiot, and spooked at her own shadow. Right now both horses were enjoying the shade of the woods, leaving him alone to think about what was going to happen. There was no mistaking the huge power levels moving steadily towards them, and every passing hour he grew more uneasy. That was his main concern, the other was that Nozomi was beginning to act more like a girl. He supposed it was largely due to the fact that Otaka called almost every night. It was beginning to get on his nerves for some odd reason, and he had hung up on him more than once when he'd been unlucky enough to answer the phone. Another was that she was beginning to wear things that were a little, well, revealing.

When she had left, she had asked him if he wanted anything special from the store, and he had opened his eyes to tell her no, and his eyes almost popped out of his head. He had expected her to be wearing jeans or a gi, which is what she usually wore. Instead, she was wearing an extremely short pair of khaki shorts, and a tight tank top that only came down to her navel. Her gis obviously did a very good job of covering her up, and he realized she was a very attractive young woman. He had shaken his head and she had sped off down the driveway. He was still staring at the settling dust when he felt someone breathing on the back of his neck. He turned around and looked right into Siren's odd blue eyes. She nickered and rubbed her nose against his shoulder, mouthing his cape.

"Do you have to bother me?" he asked out loud, feeling foolish for talking to a horse.

_Hell, Nozomi talks to her all the time, he thought, what can it hurt._ The filly nickered again and nudged him, wanting some more attention. She was getting very tall, but only being a yearling, was still gangly and leggy. Her coat had shed off to a pearly white, and Nozomi mentioned in passing that she was a cremello, whatever that was. She nudged him again, and he stared to push her head away, but relented and began scratching her under her jaw. He found it was helping him relax, so he continued petting her, to the horse's obvious delight. Siren put her head in his lap and rubbed her head against his chest, rubbing her ears. He smiled and watched her eye turn to him.

"So your not so bad," he said, watching her ear flip at the sound of his voice.

She put her nose in his face and lipped at his ear, making him push her head away, "That's getting too friendly."

Kumori came out of the woods to see what was going on, and when she saw Siren being petted, she trotted over. Petting Siren was one thing, but he didn't care too much for Kumori, for one thing she was pushy. The other was she was stupid. Nozomi said she was a regular brat, and he guessed that could be true as well. Kumori began edging between them and finally pushed Siren out of the way. At that, Piccolo began meditating again, feeling his anxiety return.

x

Nozomi came back two hours later, unpacking her groceries from the sidecar and checking them to make sure that nothing was broken. It took her half an hour to put everything away, and she came back out with her tack and began grooming Kumori. As she brushed, she hummed, smiling at the horse's ears flipping back and forth. For all of Kumori's bad qualities, Nozomi did like her, she was a sweet horse when she wanted to be. She looked over at Piccolo and then to the end of the driveway.

"Piccolo, have you noticed anything unusual today?" she asked as she picked up a hoof.

"Like what?"

"Well, it seems like there's this huge power surge coming this way," she said, picking up another hoof, "Then again it might just be a thunderstorm or something."

"Maybe," he said vaguely.

"Are you hiding something?" she asked, putting the saddle on and reaching under for the girth.

"No," he said quickly.

She looked at him for a moment and then raised her eyebrows, "Okay, I'm going to work with Lady Spooks-a-lot here, do you want anything before I get started?"

"No," he said, regaining his composure.

Nozomi finished tacking up and swung gracefully up, Kumori dancing around when she felt the weight on her back. Nozomi turned her towards the back yard and urged her into a trot, and Siren came back over and laid down next to him.

"You act like a dog," he told her.

She snorted and got back up, walking away. Sometimes he got the eerie feeling that she knew what he was saying. Everything was quiet for the next hour, the only interruption was Nozomi speeding down to the end of the driveway and back, Kumori taking long, even strides. She hosed the mare off afterwards, watching her roll before she went back inside to get dinner started.


	18. Unexpected Arrivals

_Please let this just go smoothly, and no one kills anyone, _he thought as he heard the cars pulling down the driveway. He looked up and saw five cars, and groaned. _This is going to be a nightmare_. The two horses looked up, then turned and ran into the woods; that was one less thing to worry about anyway. The other was still in the house, and who knew when she was going to appear. The dust settled and everyone got out of their cars, looking around.

"Wow Piccolo, that house is huge!" Goku said, looking at it.

"It's beautiful out here," Bulma said, looking around.

Piccolo stood up and crossed his arms, walking out from under the tree.

"So Piccolo, where is he?" Goku asked, looking around.

"We all want to see who could possibly stand being with you for two years alone," Vegeta said with a smirk.

Before anyone could retaliate, Piccolo heard the front door open and close, and saw them all staring towards it.

"Piccolo, what is- Oh!" Nozomi said, looking around, "Um hello. I didn't know we were expecting company."

She walked over and stood next to Piccolo and looked at them. He noticed she had changed into a deep blue gi. _She must like blue. At least she's wearing clothing this time_. She was getting rather uncomfortable at being stared at. Goku began laughing and they all jumped.

"This is a joke right?" he asked looking at Nozomi.

"I'm afraid not," Piccolo said.

"But she's a girl!" Goku said, "You said she was a guy!"

"You did," Piccolo said, "I never said anything"

"What exactly is going on here?" Nozomi asked, looking at Piccolo with a slight glare.

"This is who you've been training for two years?" Goku asked, looking back at Nozomi, "Why?"

"I can think of a good reason," Master Roshi said, looking her over.

"Um, I hate to be rude," Nozomi interrupted, "But before we start going over my redeeming qualities, can I at least learn who you all are?"

"I'm Bulma Briefs," Bulma said, holding out her hand, "This is my husband Vegeta, and this. . ." She motioned to the lavender haired boy in her arms, "is Trunks."

"Pleased to meet you," Nozomi said, shaking her hand.

"I'm Krillin and this is 18 and our daughter Marron," a shorter man said, motioning to his wife and baby.

She nodded and smiled politely, the fact that the introduction was guarded didn't get by her.

"Tien," a tall man said gruffly. He was bald and had a third eye, next to him was what looked like a live doll, "this is Chaotzu."

She nodded to them and turned towards Goku, who was still staring at her.

"I'm Chi Chi, and this. . ." she said, elbowing Goku, "Is my husband Goku. This is Goten."

The toddler in her arms looked just like his father, and she smiled unconsciously. A boy of about her age was pushed forward by Chi Chi, he looked slightly embarrassed.

"I'm Gohan," he said quietly.

She smiled at him and looked at the last people. A pig and a flying cat, plus a short old man who looked familiar. Then she looked at a very handsome man, with black hair and a cross shaped scar on his cheek.

"I'm Yamcha," he said, taking her hand and giving her a suave smile that made her blush, "and this is Puar."

"And I'm Master Roshi," the old man said, pushing Yamcha out of the way and taking her hand.

He was about to kiss it when the pig knocked him out of the way, "Don't be rude. I'm Oolong."

Nozomi pulled her hand away before he could kiss it and bowed slightly.

"It's very nice to meet you all," she said, "I'm Nozomi Sensono. Would you like to come in and sit down? I'm sure you've had a long drive. I didn't know you were coming or I would have had some tea ready."

She glared at Piccolo, then turned and walked to the house, holding open the front door. They all filed past her, looking around when they walked into the door. The house was spotlessly clean, and smelled like fresh flowers and lavender. She showed them into the living room, which was enormous and well lit by large windows. A fireplace on one side had pictures and a few plants on its mantle, flanked on both sides by windows. The furniture was all cream leather and cherry wood. At one end of the room, near a set of stained glass inlaid doors, was a grand piano, and bookshelves lined the rear walls. There was a huge entertainment system on the front wall, and as they sat on the opulent couches they stared around them, taking it all in.

"Would anyone like anything to drink?" she asked, still standing.

Only a few people did, and she left the room, leaving them to talk. Piccolo had came inside too, and was sitting on the floor. Bulma got up and went over to the bookshelf, looking at the books, noticing they were mainly about plants, warfare, weaponry, and armor. There was also a lot of equestrian related books, and a lot of classic novels. Nozomi was apparently a Shakespeare fan, as she had every play in large leather bound volumes, and had a few books on robotics and mechanics. Bulma noticed the doors and walked over to them, reaching for the handle.

"Do you not want your tea?" Nozomi asked, looking over at her.

Bulma jumped and a few people chuckled, watching her face turn pink.

"S- sure," Bulma said.

Nozomi walked over and handed her the glass, and then opened the doors wide, looking around the room.

"I need to dust in here, but you're welcome to look," she said with a smile as she flipped on the light.

Bulma turned and stared, she had never seen so many awards in one place. There were dozens of ribbons, trophies, plaques, certificates, medals, banners, pictures, a few crowns and sashes. There was even a small suit of armor, highly polished and gleaming. She'd also never seen so many kokeshi dolls and manekineko in one place either.

"Are these all yours?" she asked, looking at Nozomi.

Nozomi nodded, "That's ten years of blood sweat and tears, and gifts."

She turned around and walked to an armchair and sat down, looking around at everyone. This was awkward, she didn't know what to say to any of them. She clasped her hands in her lap and bit her lip, trying to come up with something to say.

"Can I ask you a question?" Bulma called from the trophy room.

"Yes," Nozomi said, turning around.

Bulma came back into the livingroom and sat down next to Vegeta, "Are you a temple girl?"

"No," Nozomi said, shaking her head.

"But it says on a plaque that you've been sponsored by the Solarian Temple for several tournaments," she said, looking at her intently.

"You're **the **Nozomi Sensono?" Gohan asked, looking at her.

"Last time I checked," Nozomi said lightly.

"The Four Time Champion of the Women's World Tournament?" Gohan asked again.

"Five Time Champion," Nozomi said, raising an eyebrow.

"That's where you went?" Goku asked, looking over at Piccolo, "That's where you had to be?"

Piccolo didn't answer, he just sat there, trying to ignore everything. It wasn't going to be so easy.

Nozomi looked over at Piccolo and raised an eyebrow. Well, she had found out what he had been so uptight about for the past week. She turned back and sighed, "The reason the Temple is listed as my sponsor is because the high priestess was the one who found me when I was abandoned."

"So you were raised at the Temple," Bulma said.

"No, you have to be blood to be raised in the Temple.Tholi sent me to live with a devout family. The only catch was that I was to return when I was four and begin training. Since then the Temple has been my sponsor," Nozomi said, "I was an orphan, and Tholi was the one who found me, so the decision of what to do with me was hers."

"So she sent you away, just like that?" Chi Chi asked, somewhat appalled.

"No. She couldn't keep me at the Temple because I'm not a blood relative of her or another priestess. She had no other choice than to send me away. She could have left me to the wolves," Nozomi said, "She's more of a mother than my foster mother ever was."

"Where are they? Your foster parents," Chi Chi asked.

"Don't know and I could care less," Nozomi shrugged, "By Temple law I became an adult on my thirteenth birthday, and therefore can make my own decisions."

She talked so calmly that she might have been talking about the weather. She decided to change the subject.

"Besides, I like having my own house, and my own things," she said, "Having your own house when your fourteen is actually fun."

Yamcha began choking on his drink, and everyone stared at him.

"You're fourteen?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Yes," she said, unable to hide her smile, "How old did you think I was?"

"At least eighteen," Bulma said, looking at her.

"Sorry," she chuckled, "Fourteen. I get that a lot though."

The phone rang and she excused herself, running to get it. They all looked at each other and then at Piccolo, who was sweating again.

"Piccolo, that's kind of," Goku said thinking, "Odd."

"What?"

"That you live with a fourteen year old girl," Goku said, "And a cute one at that."

"Cute?" Yamcha asked, "Goku, cute doesn't begin to cover it."

Nozomi reappeared holding the phone to her ear, she walked over to the bookshelves and pulled down a very large, think, old looking leather bound book. She set it on top of the piano and began leafing through the pages, which they could see were yellow with age.

"Yeah. . . No this says you have to do it before noon on the ninth day of the ninth month," they heard her say, "No don't use yew, use either oak or ash . . . Yeah, why don't you just ask Tholi?. . Good god, she's going to kill you when she finds out. . . No, if you do it now it's going to be a completely different mandala." She flipped to another page, "Here's a better one. It's under reversals. . . Well, then you better damn well hurry. Two outer, three inner, four quarters, quartz, smoky quartz, and. . . this is smudged, looks like celestite. . . No in three points on the outermost, at north, southeast, and southwest. It says they don't have to be in any order, as long as their charged. . . Well, just hurry. . . Okay, bye."

She put the phone down and put the book back up, walking over and sitting down. She looked at Piccolo and sighed.

"Kosui and Yume got in a fight and apparently now Yume's hair's all gone," she said, "They wanted to know of I had a reversal mandala. Tholi's in the library, so they can't get to the spellbooks."

Piccolo tried not to smile, and barely succeeded

"That's a spellbook?" Bulma asked.

"Yeah, it's abouttwo hundred andfifty years old, I think, written in the Minami language.The Temple ownsthe original one that's over two thousand years old. Tholi gavethis oneto me when they were cleaning out the library, it's only got the basic spells and mandalas in it," she said, looking at the clock, "Oh, I need to take that out of the oven. You all will stay for dinner won't you?"

"Sure thing!" Goku said, looking eager.

"Would you like some help?" Chi Chi asked.

"No thank you. Does anyone need anything right now?"

When they all shook their heads, she left the room again, then reappeared a moment later.

"You can watch the television if you want to, make yourself at home," she said, disappearing again.

A few minutes later they heard a loud crash and a few muffled curses.

"Are you sure you don't want any help?" Chi Chi called.

"I'm fine!" Nozomi yelled back, then they heard, "Stupid pan, why in hell is it up there like that?"

She was looking around for something to cook. What did she have that was enough for what, at least twenty people? There was those huge fish she had caught yesterday. There was enough on one for that many people wasn't there? Better get both of them, she thought, running out to the barn. She got the fish out one at a time and set them next to the back door to thaw, then rushed back in and washed her hands, thinking. _Let's see, broiled fish with butter sauce, a nice salad, how many loaves of bread do I have? I've got about five. Two should be enough, but I should probably make some more dough tonight. No, rolls would be better, just skip the bread. Let's see, side dishes, steamed vegetables. _She flew around the kitchen, and took stock of everything she had, got out everything she needed, and began cooking.

xxxx

An hour later she walked into the livingroom, "Dinner's ready."

Goku rushed past her and stopped when he saw the table. It all looked very elegant, there was arrangements of flowers along the center and candles everywhere. When everyone was seated, they began looking at the crystal and the silver.

"Is it just me or does anyone else feel like we're at a restaurant?" Bulma asked, looking around her.

Nozomi came out with the salads, then served everyone drinks and stood back, watching.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Goku asked, seeing she wasn't eating.

"I can eat later," she said, "I want to make sure you all don't need anything."

After the salads she brought out the main course, which looked like something from a five star restaurant. She asked if they wanted wine and filled glasses, smiling at their compliments.

"This is great," Bulma said, "Where did you get the wine?"

"From the Temple," she said, "This one's white grape, white roses, with a bit of honeysuckle and a splash of peach. It's best with the fish around this area. There's more food if anyone wants it."

Goku and Vegeta finished off the second fish by themselves, and Nozomi realized that she was going to need a lot more food if they stayed. She hoped they would, she liked all of them, even though the old man and the pig seemed a little too interested in her. When dinner was finished, despite her protests, the other women helped her clean and put up the dishes. While they worked, she invited them to spend the night, saying it was to late to drive back, even though it was still daylight and she had no clue where they lived.

"We don't want to impose," Chi Chi said, "After all sixteen people is a lot."

"Not really," Nozomi said, "There's four bedrooms that have king sized beds, and the one across from mine has six sets of bunk beds. Just in case everyone from the temple decides to come over and I already had guests. Plus there's Piccolo's room down here, which I honestly don't think he uses. And I'm sure there's a bassinet somewhere around here."

"So you're okay with living here with him, all by yourself?" Bulma asked.

"Yeah. He's really nice, he just takes some getting used to," she answered, making them all look at each other.

"But don't you get lonely? I mean Piccolo's not a very big talker."

"No, I have the horses. And Piccolo's better company than you'd think," she smiled, putting up the dishes.


	19. Punishments of Pillars

Master Roshi and Oolong had turned on the big screen television and were watching a football game, and the other men were busy talking and looking around them. Yamcha had gotten up to look at the pictures on the mantle, and then went over to the bookshelf. He was looking at the titles when he noticed what appeared to be a photo album. He picked it up and opened it, and saw a picture of three young girls, covered in mud with the reins of three equally muddy horses in their hands. The girl in the middle looked like Nozomi, though it was hard to tell with all the mud. Regardless, he took the album over and sat down with it.

"What's that?" Gohan asked, looking over from the couch.

"An album, there's a lot of pictures in here," he said, flipping through the pages quickly, "A lot of them look like Nozomi when she was a kid. Well, younger anyway, I guess she's still a kid."

They all gathered around the armchair, and looked at the pictures, all their attention focused on the album in Yamcha's hands. Piccolo looked at them and then went back to meditating, he could look at it any time he wanted to, if he even wanted to. He saw her everyday, he knew well enough what she looked like. Still, he was listening to their reactions.

"For fourteen, she certainly looks good," Yamcha said, "I think I liked it better when I thought she was eighteen, it didn't seem so dirty."

"Who cares," Master Roshi said, "Turn the page. Whoo hoo! Look at that bikini!"

"Shh, they're going to hear and we'll be in big trouble," Goku said.

"It's not like we're looking at Master Roshi's magazine's Goku," Krillin said, "They're just pictures of- What the hell is that?"

"Looks like a bunch of topless girls picking apples," Yamcha said, "Half of them look like they're ten to twelve. Must be the Temple Girls."

"How do you figure that?" Tien asked.

"Because here they are with their clothes on meditating," he said, pointing to the picture below it, "If you all would look."

"What are you all so engrossed in?" Bulma asked, looking at them all around the armchair.

They all turned around and turned red, and Piccolo looked up and smirked. Nozomi walked in and saw the album in Yamcha's hands.

"You found my album," she smiled, "What do you think of the pictures?"

"They're uh. . ."

"Very . . ."

"Yeah. . ."

"Are they that bad?" Nozomi asked, her face falling,"I felt like I was getting better. I thought the ones of the Temple were okay."

"They're great!" Yamcha said, his voice too eager to answer.

"You saw the apple harvest picture huh?" Nozomi asked, a smirk of her own on her face, "Honestly, you think a bunch of grown men would be more cultured, especially you married men. Only three of you had the discipline to curb your curiosity for five minutes."

Piccolo and Vegeta both smirked at the embarrassed group of men, and Gohan just sat there, looking for once in his life like his father trying to do algebra in his head. Nozomi walked over and turned the page of the album.

"There, problem solved," she said in a satisfied tone, "I'm ready to spar now Piccolo."

The phone rang again and she sighed, reaching for it, "Hello. . .Oh, hello. . .No I wasn't busy. . . Oh how sweet."

They watched her blush, and Gohan watched Piccolo roll his eyes and begin meditating again.

"Really? When? . . .No, I'm always here. . .Right now? Well, I have some people over. . . Actually it is a bunch of strange men."

Piccolo opened his eyes and stared at her. Was she actually telling Otaka she had a bunch of men at her house?

"No, I have no clue who they are," she said sarcastically, "Of course I have an idea of who they are, Piccolo knows them."

_Great_, he thought, _drag me into this_.

"Don't you take that tone with me! If you say that again I'm going to hang up, I mean it!" she hung up the phone and crossed her arms looking mad. It rang again and she answered it, "You can bugger off! . .Oh hello, Tholi."

Her face turned blood red and Piccolo chuckled.

"Yes, she did call me earlier. . .Really? I don't remember. . .I must have if she told you I did," she laughed uneasily and then held the receiver away from her ear as a loud shout was heard.

"_Nozomi Sensono! PUT ME ON THE SPEAKER PHONE RIGHT NOW_!"

"But I have people over here," she whispered into the phone.

_"I DON"T CARE!"_

"Yes ma'am," Nozomi said, pushing the speaker phone button.

_"HOW DARE YOU GIVE HER THAT MANDALA! DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE DID? SHE GOT IT WRONG AND EVERYONE'S HAIR FELL OUT! SHE TURNED IT INTO A BOOSTING MANDALA!"_

"I told her to use celestite, not calcite," Nozomi said, trying not to laugh at the thought of a temple full of bald women.

_"THIS IS NOT A LAUGHING MATTER! WE HAD TO USE THE ULTIMATE REVERSING MANDALA, AND EVERYONE'S HAIR WAS DOWN TO THE FLOOR!"_

Nozomi was covering her mouth, sniggering behind her hand.

_"STOP SNIGGERING! THANKS TO YOU THREE WE NOW HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET RID OF ALL THIS HAIR!"_

"Sell it to a wig maker," Nozomi said, and then began laughing hysterically.

Suddenly the voice began yelling in another language, and Nozomi looked suddenly serious and blanched, "Anything but that Tholi!"

_"Piccolo, are you listening?"_

"Unfortunately," he said.

_"Tomorrow morning, Nozomi is to go to the lake and gather rocks that are the size of Kumori's feet and build a pillar three feet high and two feet wide. When she's done with it, she's going to stand on it with two buckets of water for an hour. Have you got that?"_

"Completely," he said, closing his eyes.

_"And she's not to eat until she's done with the pillar."_

"Tholi!" Nozomi cried, "That's not fair!"

_"NEITHER IS SNEAKING AROUND AND TRUSTING **KOSUI **TO GET A COMPLICATED MANDALA LIKE THAT RIGHT!"_

"Yes, Tholi," Nozomi said miserably, and the phone clicked, the dial tone loud and hollow.

Nozomi sighed and hung up the phone, looking at Piccolo, "You're not really going to make me do that?"

He looked up at her and smiled evilly.

"But that will take me all day Piccolo!" she said, "How am I supposed to spar?"

"You'll do it during sparring time and spar during meal time," he said.

"But I have to eat," she said, looking pitiful.

"Come on Piccolo, she has to eat," Goku said, jumping to her defense.

"See," she said, "Goku agrees with me."

"He would," Piccolo said, "You'll have ten minutes for meals."

"Thank you," she said, looking pleased, "Thank you so much! You won't regret it."

xxxx

The sun rose on Nozomi as she was piling rocks into a large willow basket, measuring them with her palm. She had half the pillar built already, and she was anxious to get her punishment over with. It wasn't the first time she'd been made to do this. She and Yume often had to do this because they got into fist fights. The basket was full and she pulled it onto her back, slipping her arms through the leather straps, hardly noticing the weight of it. She was kind of cheating though. She had started early because she knew Piccolo was asleep, and had used a placement spell to help set the stones. It just has to hold up for an hour, she thought, listening to the birds begin singing. She really should be starting breakfast for everyone, something that she could cook quickly. Her house came into view and she sighed in relief, this was her last load. She dumped the stones next to the half completed pillar and looked around, making sure that no one was watching. She could start the food and be back out before the spell finished, and no one would be the wiser.

"_Dance and weave oh stones_," she said, closing her eyes and holding out her hands, "_Obey thy mistress and rise up above the ground from which you sprang. Come together in this my creation and hold fast until I need you no more_." She opened her eyes and saw the stones setting themselves one by one on the pillar, being laid by an invisible mason. She smiled, pleased with herself, and went inside.

The first one down the stairs was Goku, drawn by the smell of the food. The others began filing down and Nozomi was setting the food on the table when she heard the back door open and close. _Oh no_, _the stones_! She gulped and ran outside, seeing the stones spinning around and around, apparently she had gotten a few too many and now the left over stones were just spinning around. She looked at Piccolo, who glared at her, and forced a laugh.

"You never said that I had to do it by hand," she said meekly.

He suddenly held out his hand and blew it up, gravel and dust flying everywhere. The remaining stones dropped to the ground and her jaw dropped. It had taken her half the night to even find the stones for the pillar.

"Do it right or don't do it at all," he growled.

"That was totally uncalled for!" she screamed, "Do you have any idea how hard it was to find those? Now I'll be scouring the whole damn lake all day!"

"That's the point," he said, walking over to the oak tree.

"Oh, you. . . you," she growled, stomping into the house muttering under her breath.

The others watched her pass, muttering in some different language, apparently very angry.

"Stupid, now I've got to dredge all over that damn lake for rocks. There's fish big enough to eat me in that lake," she growled, putting on her bathing suit and throwing her gi over it, "I did not want to spend my day fighting with fish for rocks and picking leaches off my ass!" She stomped out of the house and towards the lake, picking up the basket.

xxxx

She arrived back around lunch time, dripping wet and covered in mud and muck. She threw the basket on the ground and rocks tumbled over the grass as she stomped to the outdoor pump. All the men were outside and they looked over at her. She had to pass them and they all held their noses. She reeked.

"What did you get into?" Gohan asked, not seeing the look on her face.

"A big, gigantic, FISH!" she screamed, "It swallowed me, and I had to swim around in its stomach until I blew it up! Then I had to fight off the other fish that were swarming around for the bits of fish guts strewn around the lake, when another fish tried to eat me."

She turned on the pump and picked up the hose, glaring at Piccolo. He gave her an evil smirk and she sighed angrily, holding the hose over her head as the fish guts oozed off of her. She was beginning to look normal again when someone rode up on a big red horse.

"I see you haven't been working," Tholi said, getting down, "Though by the smell, I'd say you've been trying to."

They looked at the short woman, whose long black hair fell in a braid down to her calves. She had pale skin and steel gray eyes, and was dressed in flowing black robes.

"I was eaten by a fish, Tholi," she said tiredly, "Hard to build a pillar in a fish."

"It looks like you made it out all right," the woman said without smiling, "We'll forgo the punishment for today. I was coming to see if you wanted to do the scythe dance for the harvest festival. Hoshi fell off a horse yesterday and broke her arm."

"Is she all right?" Nozomi asked, suddenly concerned.

"She's fine, but as you know, unless it's life threatening or her fault she's not allowed to heal it," Tholi said, "And it was her fault."

"I'll have to practice," Nozomi said, scratching some dried junk off her arm.

"That's why I'm here," Tholi said, "You're the only other one that hasn't done it, would be allowed to do it, knows it, and is old enough."

"That does present a problem," she said, then noticed the crowd of people, "Oh, how rude of me."

She introduced everyone and Tholi bowed, "I've heard a lot about you all. It's nice to put names with faces."

"You're the same Tholi Tenerife of the Tenerife clan?" Goku asked.

"I was," Tholi said, "Not anymore."

Nozomi smiled slightly and looked at the horse, "You brought Wildfire."

"I did," she said, "You've got some under your left eye."

After Nozomi was rinsed off she went into the house to change clothes, and came back down to see Tholi was setting her bags on the porch.

"Are you not staying?" she asked.

"No," Tholi said, "I'm leaving tonight. The moon's still shining, I have nothing to worry about."

Nozomi nodded, "But that only works for low level demons. Higher level-"

"I know more about demons than I want Nozomi," Tholi said gruffly, "I'm perfectly aware what risks I'm taking. I can only hope that you aren't running around at night like you tend to do."

Nozomi looked at her feet and shook her head, feeling like a five year old. She was glad the men were in the back yard and couldn't see her looking contrite.

"You need to be careful Nozomi, especially being so close to the ruins," Tholi said, "If any demon found out about you-"

"How do I know I am who you say I am?" she asked suddenly.

"Look at yourself," Tholi hissed, "How can you explain it?"

"How do you know for sure?" she asked.

"Because Solaria told me," Tholi said, thinking that would be the end of the discussion.

"Than what am I?" she asked desperately, "Who's my father?"

"You're a Toujoukai," Tholi said, "And I was barely allowed to tell you-"

"Then you shouldn't have told me," Nozomi said sadly.

"I had too," she sighed, "I don't ask questions, I have a duty."

"How were you chosen?" Nozomi asked, "You've never told me, and I think I have a right to know."

"No you don't," Tholi scowled, "I will tell you when I feel the time is right, not because you want me to. You have to trust me on this one thing. I'll tell you one day, but not today."

"You don't think I was ready to know the truth, do you?"

"No one's ever ready to learn that their whole life has been one big lie, Nozomi," she said gently.

"How do I know that this isn't too?" Nozomi said earnestly, and Tholi could see the pain in her eyes.

"Because-" she tried to think of how to word what she wanted to say, "I swear to you Nozomi, if I knew, I would tell you."

Nozomi looked at the ground, trying to take it all in.

"But everything I've told you before is true, and you know it is."

"Do I?" she asked.

"Nozomi," Tholi growled, "Stop being naive. Come with me."

They walked around to the back yard where the men were sparring, and Tholi turned to her.

"Tell me what you see," she said.

"No," she said, turning away, "I don't want to. I have enough nightmares as it is without seeing how people I know have died."

"But you can," Tholi said, "It's a rare and powerful gi-"

"I get your point," she said sarcastically.

Goku tuned around and saw them, "Hey, do you want to come and spar too?"

"Dad, that's not a good idea," Gohan said.

"Why not?" Nozomi asked, crossing her arms.

Tholi sighed and caught Piccolo's eyes, watching him smirk.

"Because he'll kill you," Yamcha said, "There's no way you could spar with Goku."

"What about you?" she asked, looking at him, "I could take you."

"I don't fight girls," Yamcha said with a smile.

"Are you scared then?" Nozomi asked back, a smirk not unlike Piccolo's on her face.

"Yeah, that I'll hurt you," he said.

"Bring it on," Nozomi said, narrowing her eyes.


	20. Talking About Childhood

No, I don't see the end of this being anywhere in the near future. I just had these chapters written and typed already, and had to re-edit them before I re-published them. I'm working on more chapters right now, it just takes me a while to get them typed and edited with nursing school going on too. But I'm shooting for at least 2 chapters a week right now, maybe more if I can find the time.

Thanks for the reviews and I hope I can keep things interesting!

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"I believe you have a punishment to finish," Tholi said, looking at Nozomi out of the corner of her eye.

"Ah, can't it-" she stopped as Tholi turned and gave her a stern look, her face actually going white, "T-that's right, why don't I get right on that."

She backed away, and then turned, flinching when Tholi cleared her throat.

"I suppose we could forgo it, considering the circumstances," Tholi said, then noticed the pile of gravel, "What is that?"

Nozomi looked at Piccolo with a pleading look,and Tholi sighed, "Nozomi, if you lose, you'll have to stand on a bamboo pillar for four hours."

"B-but," she looked at Yamcha, and then shrugged, "Oh well, I knew I wasn't going to get out of it anyway."

She walked to the patch of bare earth that marked where she and Piccolo always sparred, "Well?"

"Are you sure?" Yamcha asked, going to take his position, "I don't want you to break a nail."

"Yar, yar," she scowled, lowering down into a neutral stance, "I'll try my best not to cry."

He chuckled and did the same, "Ready?"

She smirked and then disappeared, and his eyes widened, "Wha-"

He turned just in time to block a blow to his ribs, and throw one of his own to her face, hitting nothing but thin air. She appeared in front of him with a slight frown on her face and blocked a kick and a punch, "Please tell me you're faster than this."

Yamcha glared at her as everyone laughed, and then powered up, "If you'd mentioned you were that fast, I would have powered up to begin with."

She smiled as he leapt at her and she had to rely on her reflexes, getting up with a smirk as a punch hit her in the face and she wiped the blood off her lip, "I knew you were going easy on me."

She moved back in and they traded blow for blow, eventually hitting each other in the face simultaneously, both of them rolling back on the ground. Nozomi was the first to jump back up and rush in, knocking him down and pinning him to the ground, "You give?"

"Not yet," he said, knocking her off with a low level ki blast.

Nozomi landed and stared at him with her eyes wide and her jaw slack, "Hey! You never said-"

"Now we're even," he said, a smirk on his face.

She got up with a frown, and got into a defensive position, "Well, want to try that little trick again?"

Tholi started to step in and Piccolo stopped her, "She'll be fine."

Yamcha had just gotten 'Kamehame-' out of his mouth when Nozomi disappeared again and he went flying, Nozomi standing where he'd just been with her elbow up. He pushed himself up and tried to catch his breath, watching her hand appear in front of his face. He looked up and watched her smile sweetly at him, a smear of dirt across her nose and her lip split.

"You almost had me," she said, helping him up.

"You would have if she hadn't tricked you into taking the time to throw a kamehameha," Krillin said.

Nozomi closed her eyes and shrugged, still smiling, "It worked didn't it?"

Yamcha rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish look as the others laughed, "Next time I'll beat you."

Tholi glanced up at Piccolo, seeing he looked pleased, and chuckled, "You haven't taught her offensive ki manipulation yet then?"

He looked down at the woman and raised a brow, "She's not ready. Her power level's too unstable."

Tholi thought on that a minute, turning back to Nozomi as she and Yamcha talked.

xxxx

Nozomi watched Tholi ride away, and looked up at the moon, only a small sliver of it still visible. She felt someone next to her and turned her head, surprised to see Gohan instead of Piccolo.

"You're still out here? Tholi left a half hour ago," he said, studying her features.

"Hmm?" she looked inside at the clock and then back at him, smiling, "I was looking at the stars. They're bright tonight."

Gohan looked up as well, not seeing her looking at him, "They are."

She studied his profile, and then looked skyward, "When does your father have to go back?"

He looked at her, and then looked at the ground, sad, "In another month. How did you-"

"Piccolo told me," she said, "I'm very sorry. You're lucky that you get to see him again."

"Yeah," he said, "So you don't know who your parents are?"

She stared out at the trees, "No."

"I'm sorry, I-"

"No, no. It's not that," she smiled, interrupting him, "I was just thinking how lucky you are to have parents that care for you. Other than Tholi, I don't think any adult has ever cared about me. It must be nice to have someone around you all the time that you know loves you."

He saw a tear slide down her cheek.

"I mean, there's more to it than that. You've been able to lead something akin to a normal life. I never got a choice. It wasn't my decision to start training, or competing. I've never been around children my own age that didn't have chores to do; never been to a public school . . . I didn't know there was more to training and fighting until I was six."

"You mean you never played with any of the children at the Temple?" he asked, trying to imagine it.

She laughed softly and looked at him, her eyes bright, "Gohan, from the time children can walk, they're doing something. Picking weeds, chasing birds from the fields, learning to write and read. The things they do for fun are aren't games. They aren't like other children."

"Did you do any of those things?"

"No. After morning exercises, I trained until lunch, then after lunch I had lessons. After lessons I had weapons training, then dinner. After dinner, it was yoga, then bathing, then bed," she smiled, "I wasn't afforded the luxury of free time. I'm a fighter, and that's how I've spent my life. Now, when I have free time, I don't know what to do. Guess that's why the house stays clean."

He thought for a moment, "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know what kids our age do for fun either. I've read what they do, but that's not the same."

She smiled, and then giggled, "I guess we're both pretty pathetic."

He chuckled, "I guess so. Isn't there anything you like to do that isn't chores or work?"

"I go swimming sometimes," she said, "But after spending most of this morning in the lake, I don't think I'll be doing that for a while. And I play chess, but that's only at the Temple. Piccolo glared at me when I asked him if he wanted to learn."

"How do you like living with him, really?" he asked, genuinely curious, remembering how it had been when he'd trained alone with Piccolo.

"I like it just fine. I don't know why everyone keeps asking me that," she replied, raising an eyebrow, "It's like you think he's some kind of demon or something."

"It's not that, it's just- Well, his teaching style isn't exactly the norm," he said, thinking that was a gross understatement.

"You mean, beating the crap out of you daily until you can make him stop from sunup until sundown?" she smiled, watching him stare at her, "Yeah, I know."

He was about to say something when Chi Chi began yelling, "Gohan! You need to do your math homework!"

"You have no idea how lucky you are," he muttered, looking frustrated.

xxxx

"Are you sure you all won't stay any longer?"

Piccolo opened his eyes to look at her, wondering if she'd lost her mind.

"No, we better get going," Bulma said, looking meaningfully at Vegeta and Goku, "I'm sure you're tired of feeding us all."

"Not at all," she smiled, "You'll have to come back soon."

"See you at the next tournament," Gohan said, waving, "Bye Piccolo!"

"Bye!" Nozomi said, waving until they faded from view, "It's so quiet now."

Piccolo chuckled, "I'm sure you'll make up for it by yelling soon enough."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she frowned, hands on hips.

He smirked, closing his eyes, "You yell like Chi Chi."

She stared at him, "I do not!"

He looked at her, and she pouted, "Do not compare me to anyone else! How would you like it if I compared you to Goku? Or Vegeta? You're a big **grouch **like he is!"

He felt his eye twitch, "I get your point."

"Good," she said, then sighed, looking up at the clouds, "It's going to rain."

"We can get a few hours in until then.Are you-" he turned to look down at her, "Are you crying?"

"I told you, it's going to rain," she said, wiping her face and watching a drop hit him on the tip of his nose, "I'm going inside before it starts pouring. I suggest you do the same."

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Oh, Toujoukai means 'heaven child'


	21. Autumn Crush

Piccolo looked up at Nozomi after she'd been humming constantly for half an hour, seeing she was laying on the couch upside down, looking at something in her hands.

x

_"Here," Tholi said, putting an amulet around Nozomi's neck, "I've been meaning to give this to you for a while. This is the amulet that was around your neck when I found you."_

_Nozomi looked at it and then at Tholi, unable to hide her tears, "It's from- you mean-"_

_She smiled and cupped the girl's face in her hands, trying to imagine her as she would be, and finding it hard to see past the child she loved, "It's yours now. It will protect you."_

_"Tholi," Nozomi choked, throwing her arms around the woman, not realizing she was taller._

_"I've got to go before the moon reaches its zenith," she said, swinging gracefully onto the large warhorse, "I'll send someone for you before the festival. Ohan na lo."_

_"Ohan na lo," Nozomi watched Tholi ride away, and looked up at the moon, only a small sliver of it still visible. She felt someone next to her and turned her head, surprised to see Gohan instead of Piccolo._

x

She turned the amulet in her hand again, looking in wonder at the beautiful symbol on it. She'd seen it before; the open lotus with the rising sun, five hands above it like rays. The symbol of Solaria. The lotus represented life and rebirth, night and day, and the hands above the sun represented the hands of Solaria. There were only five, because it was said she held the world in her sixth hand.

There was some sort of writing around the edge of the sun, but she couldn't see it to make it out, and it occurred to her that whoever had made it had immense skill. She realized Piccolo was staring at her and she looked up, blinking at him, "What?"

"Do you have to hum?" he asked, trying not to notice her could see right up her shirt.

She rolled over and sat up, shrugging, "Sorry. Didn't realize I was. How long have you know all of them?"

He raised a brow, "All my life."

"Really? How old are you?" she asked, cocking her head to look at him, "You don't look as old as them."

"I'm four years older than you," he said, watching her eyes widen, "Nameks age differently."

"Oh," she said, then, without skipping a beat, "When's your birthday?"

He sighed, "If you're that bored, find something else to do besides interrogate me."

"Piccolo, stop being a grouch and answer the question," she frowned, crossing her arms, "It won't kill you to answer a few questions. Heaven knows I've answered all of yours."

"I was born in May," he said, "And I'm not answering any more asinine questions."

She gave him a look, "Well, forgive me for wanting to know you. And to think I actually defended you."

"Defen- What do you mean?" he asked, looking interested.

"Nothing, if you're going to be a horse's ass," she said, taking the book off the coffee table and opening it angrily.

He stared at her for five minutes, "I know you're not reading that."

Her knuckles went white, "And how's that?"

"The book's upside down," he smirked, thinking she could be as dumb as Goku sometimes.

She looked over the top of it, her eyes narrowed, "Maybe I like reading like this."

"May ninth," he said, "Now, what did you mean?"

She shrugged, "I told them I liked you, and that it was easy living with you when they asked me about it. Chi Chi looked at me like I'd grown horns."

"She would," he growled, looking at the floor.

"Is it because of Gohan?" she asked, catching him off guard, "He told me about when you trained him."

"I was a different person then," he said softly, closing his eyes.

She gave him a concerned look, "Piccolo. . ."

She got no response and got up, going into the kitchen and beginning to cut vegetables, not really focusing on making anything in particular.

x

He walked into the kitchen and looked at all the chopped vegetables, watching her pull over another zucchini, going and taking the knife out of her hand, "Have you looked around?"

She looked at him and then at the neat piles of julienned carrots, diced onions, and other various cuts and kinds of veggies. She suddenly threw her arms around Piccolo's waist and felt him tense up, "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

He looked down at the top of her head and felt his heart melt a bit more, and he cleared his throat, "You finished?"

"Sorry," she said, pulling away from him, her cheeks pink.

"Quit apologizing," he said, watching her open her mouth and shut it with a snap, a sheepish smile forming on her lips, "What are you going to do with all this?"

"I have no idea," she said, "Would you-"

He sighed, one corner of his lips turning up, "If you cook it, I guess I could eat it."

She smiled broadly and got out a pot, and he watched her, not realizing his cheeks were slightly flushed.

xxxx

Summer faded to autumn, and one day Yume showed up at their door, and Nozomi looked suddenly nervous.

"Come on No-chan, you'll do fine," she prodded.

"You're coming aren't you?" Nozomi asked, looking at Piccolo.

"Of course he's coming," Yume said, seeing Piccolo give her an incredulous look and raising a brow.

Nozomi and Piccolo looked at each other, and she smiled, "You really don't have to go."

"You're not missing any training time," he said, not seeing Yume shake her head, "You're beginning to get lazy."

"Lazy!" she yelled, watching him fly off and ignoring Yume's snort of laughter, "I am NOT!"

x

He landed and looked around at the hundreds of prayers tied to the branches of the trees around the public entrance as he walked into the cool interior of the Temple. He watched Tholi smile as she looked over and spotted him, and then saw Otaka, resisting the urge to glare at the younger man. Otaka spotted him and walked over, almost stepping in front of him.

"Where's Nozomi?" he demanded, remembering all the hang ups Piccolo had put him through.

Piccolo ignored him and headed to his room, not wanting to deal with him.

x

"Why doesn't he just admit he likes being around you?" Yume asked when they'd slowed the horses down to a walk.

'Who, Piccolo?" Nozomi asked, and then shrugged, "You've been around him, he just isn't that expressive."

"That's a real understatement," Yume said, "Otaka talks about you all the time. It's starting to get annoying."

"Really? I think he's starting to annoy Piccolo too. I can't tell you how many times I've had him tell me that Piccolo hung up on him."

"Otaka's not his biggest fan," she said, deciding to be honest, "He thinks he's some kind of demon and-"

"Stop right there," she said, looking angry, "I think I just may have to have a little talk with him."

"So what is Piccolo exactly?" Yume asked.

"A Namek," she replied, "Whatever that means. I've never seen anyone like him."

"Tholi said she's seen someone like him before, but she wouldn't go into detail about it. What's it like living with him? Have you ever seen him na-"

"Yume!" she cried, turning red, "What in the Nine Hells!"

The young priestess grinned, "You've got a crush on him. Won't Otaka be mad."

"I don't have a crush on him," Nozomi spat, spurring Kumori into a gallop.

"Hey! Wait!" Yume called, urging her horse into a fast lope, watching Siren pass her, _Guess I hit a nerve._


	22. The Festival

Nozomi stormed into the Temple, and went straight up to Otaka, who jumped when he turned and saw her, "Hey No-ch-"

"I need to speak with you. In **private**," she said lowly, grabbing him and dragging him away.

"What in hell was so urgent that you-" he began, looking embarrassed.

"I don't want to hear about you talking about Piccolo any more," she said lowly, "I'll have you know he's **never **once even looked at me inappropriately, he's **not **a demon, and **you're **an asshole."

He stared at her, and then smirked, "Is this about me talking to Raye? Listen, I know you two don't get along, bu-"

"How presumptuous!" she yelled, "I begin yelling at you for one thing, and you think it's about another girl! You know. Yume was right-"

Yume walked in and turned white, looking over at Tholi.

"The only difference between you and a dog, is a dog can lick its own balls!"

Yume fell onto her knees, shaking. _Why did Nozomi have to scream that? Now I'm going to have pig duty for a week. I hate pigs!_

Nozomi turned and walked off, leaving Otaka and everyone within earshot stunned. She went straight to Piccolo's quarters and threw open the tapestry, watching him open one eye and then both, looking uncharacteristically surprised.

"Are we gonna spar today or what? I'm not lazy and I never have been, and if that's what you think, you can bite me! I'll see you outside!" she screamed, leaving as quickly as she appeared.

"Hello to you too," he muttered, getting up, _If this has anything to do with that . . . **boy**, I'll kill him myself._

x

"If you're finished sulking, we can continue," he said, watching her shoulders shake, confused.

"It's not fair!" she said, sniffing loudly, clenching her fists on her legs, "It's just not fair!"

"You're the one that wanted to spar," he growled.

"I'm not talking about that," she spat, turning and glaring at him.

She was obviously trying not to cry, but her eyes were threatening to overflow between sniffs.

"Then what, exactly, are you going on about?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"You wouldn't understand," she sniffed, getting up.

"Try me."

"Otaka broke up with me," she sniffed, "I guess maybe I shouldn't have yelled at him."

He didn't respond.

"Well, that's not what I'm really angry about. I was going to dump him anyway," she said, wiping her eyes on her hand wraps, "It's the fact that he asked Raye to escort him to the Festival."

"So," he said, not knowing why it was such a big deal.

"He did it to make me jealous."

"Well, he's doing a good job," he said, shaking his head, "Does it really matter what he does if you were going to 'dump' him anyway?"

"But I didn't get -"

"That's life," he said, tired of her childish behavior, "Now either stop sniveling and spar, or go to bed like the toddler you're acting like."

She looked at him with her lip stuck out, and then got into a stance, making him smile.

xxxx

Piccolo walked out into the courtyard and saw Nozomi in the middle of Heian Nidan, and watched her move gracefully from Zenkutsu Dachi to Gyaku Zuki. The look on her face told not only how hard she was concentrating, but how tired she was.

"You should be asleep," he said, watching her pause.

"So should you," she said, beginning to move again, "I couldn't sleep, you?"

He didn't answer her and she paused, looking over at him, "Piccolo . . .?"

"What?" he asked, scowling at her, "If I thought it would help, I'd tell you to mind your own business."

She raised a brow, blocking against an invisible opponent, "Obviously you didn't sleep either."

He growled something and she shook her head, "And you call me childish."

"I'm not the one out in the courtyard in the middle of the night doing kata because their boyfriend dumped them," he spat, watching her falter, and then regain her composure.

"Well, there you go. What's your excuse? I know it wasn't because you knew I was awake and were concerned about me," she said in an acidic tone, not seeing his cheeks turn purple and his head snap to the side.

She sighed and stopped moving, looking up at the moon, which would be full the next night, tears streaming down her face.

"Nozomi . . ." he watched her turn and look at him, and watched a tear slip down her cheek, the moon illuminating it. It fell toward the ground, a molten pearl, and wind blew her hair around her. All he could do was stare at her, and she looked down at the cool marble floor of the courtyard. For some reason he thought she looked like the moon personified, and he took a step toward her, drawn like a moth to a flame.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around his waist, beginning to sob.

He tensed, unused to any type of casual touch, and relaxed slowly as she cried, awkwardly patting her on the back. She clutched at his shirt and cape, sniffing loudly, and he tentatively put his arms around her, hearing her sob harder. He began feeling something spreading from his chest to his arms and legs, and he realized he was enjoying her closeness.

xxxx

"Did you not sleep last night?" Yume whispered as they stretched, smacking Nozomi's foot for the fifth time when she dozed off.

"I stayed up doing kata, and woke up in my room," she said, leaving out the part of her crying for half an hour, and that Piccolo had held her the whole time.

Yume raised a brow, and got up, taking Nozomi's shoulder as she stretched out her upper thigh, "How did you get in bed?"

She shrugged, mirroring her stance as she did the same, looking at the ground as she lied, "I don't know."

"Okay, keep your secrets," the younger girl whispered, a small smile on her face, "But we both know how you got back in your room."

Nozomi's cheeks turned pink as she glanced over at Piccolo, "Don't say-"

"Sealed tighter that a tomb," she smiled, winking, "So have you-"

"Baka!" she hissed, smacking her lightly on the arm.

xxxx

"I know you're faster than that!"

Nozomi skidded along the ground on one knee, her nails making tiny trenches as she clawed at it, and she leapt back at him, her arms and legs a blur. She felt a leg connect and smirked, feeling a forearm connect with her shoulder and break her collarbone. She screamed in pain and jumped back, holding her arm. He paused while she healed it, and they leapt at each other again, Piccolo landing a kick across her lower back, throwing her fifty feet or more.

"You're just going to stand here and watch this?" Otaka asked, looking disapprovingly at Tholi.

"You want to get in there and stop them?" she asked wryly, not appreciating the condescending tone he used, "She's holding her own just fine."

"And if she's too hurt to perform the Scythe Dance, it'll ruin the whole festival," he snapped.

She glared at him, "She'll be fine."

Nozomi rolled backward and flipped up, catching Piccolo's chin in the process, watching him smirk.

"That's a new one," he said, working his jaw for a minute, seeing she relaxed somewhat, "But don't stop!"

Nozomi found herself on the receiving end of a wicked roundhouse to her ribs, landing hard at Tholi's feet, and gasping for air.

Tholi crouched down and pushed a lock of hair out of Nozomi's face, "All right?"

She nodded vigorously, still trying to catch her breath. After healing her ribs, she took a deep breath, her voice hoarse when she spoke again, "What time is it?"

"Time to stop for the day," she said, looking at Piccolo, "That all right?"

He nodded, knowing Nozomi was finished for the day as far as energy went, and he couldn't have refused if he'd wanted to anyway.

"Go take a bath and I'll meet you in your quarters," Tholi said, watching her stagger up. She looked at her son with a scowl, "And you go do . . . whatever it is you do all day."

He frowned and then looked at Piccolo, blanching at the murderous look he got, walking off faster than looked casual.

xxxx

Piccolo sat back from the festivities, trying to block out the rabble from the crowds of worshipers that had begun arriving shortly before sundown. The noise coming from the long tables was near deafening, and his head was beginning to hurt. He felt someone sit down next to him and watched Nozomi smile and hand him an earthenware cup, filling it with something that smelled flowery and sweet. He took a drink, noticing it burned slightly as it went down, and looked at the kohl that lined her eyes.

"They're loud, aren't they?" she asked rhetorically, "I think half of them are drunk."

He simply hummed, looking back down at the rabble.

"Do you want anything else?" she asked, refilling his cup.

"I'm fine," he said, watching her nod and then stand, the white choli and sari she was wearing making her look ethereal as she walked away. He looked at his knee and saw she'd left the jug, and took another sip, feeling it burn down his throat again.

xxxx

He looked up as the sound of drums met his ears, wondering when he'd fallen asleep. He felt odd, like everything was spinning, and he didn't care. Euphoria filled him, and after watching the goings on closer to the bonfire, he staggered up and walked toward it. He felt the beat through his entire body as he sat just outside of the ring of firelight, and his limbs suddenly seemed heavier. The drums stopped and then a piercing whistle ripped through the air, making him flinch, immediately replaced by a low-pitched note that seemed to tremble. A chill ran up his spine as the pitch raised and lowered, sounding like a moan. His eyes flew open as the fire suddenly parted, a path of golden embers revealed, his gave fixed on the figure that was walking along it to the drum beat that had started.

The sway of the figure's hips was sensual and fluid, her hair and skirt swirling around her from the waves of heat, her eyes reflecting the firelight. His eyes flew wide when she stepped out of the flames, the fires slamming together with a high blaze and a roar, and she began moving her body in a way that didn't seem humanly possible. Hips swayed, her back and stomach moved in waves like a serpent, her arms and hands framed her body and seeming to dance on their own. She was bewitching.

He swallowed and when she turned, his jaw dropped. _There is no way- it can't- is it really? _He was transfixed, he couldn't turn away if he'd wanted to, and he didn't. From somewhere, a sword appeared in her hands, the blade reminiscent of a scythe, and she danced with it. The drums were speeding up, as were her movements, the sword slicing through the air. They began slowing again, and he swore she faded back into the fire as the flute began wailing again, sending another chill down his spine. His eyes slid closed and everything was suddenly silent.

xxxx

He woke up with a groan to two cerulean eyes gazing down at him, and his brows furrowed, "What the hell was that drink?"

"Elderberry liquor," Nozomi said, putting another cold cloth on his forehead, "I didn't realize it would have this effect on you. Then again, you did drink the whole jug."

"Don't talk so loudly," he growled, knocking her hand away and sitting up, immediately feeling nauseous, "I feel sick."

She sighed and pushed him back down, "You've got one hell of a hangover. As much as you had, I'm not surprised."

"You left the jug with me!" he snapped, wincing as his voice reverberated in his head.

"Because I thought you'd exercise some self-control," she said, handing him a cup, "Drink this."

"You really expect me to accept anything from you again?"

"I could have left you outside," she frowned, holding out a cup, "This should help with the headache. It's because you're dehydrated, I'll fix you something for that in a minute."

"What's in this?" he asked, looking at the questionable liquid in the glass and sniffing it with a grimace.

"It's irrelevant," she said, trying not to clench her jaw, "Just hold your nose and drink it."

He did and gagged, glaring at her, "Tell me that wasn't a raw egg."

"It wasn't a raw egg," she said blandly, enjoying his reaction, pouring something else into a cup and handing it to him, "This is much better, I promise."

He looked at it, seeing it looked like milk, and took a sip, downing it when he found the taste pleasant, "What was that?"

"Mare's milk and honey," she said, watching a brow raise, "It's custom after the Festival. I don't have to ask if you had fun. You're getting drunk is enough of an answer."

"Why are you in my room?" he asked, as if he'd just realized where they were, "And why am I shirtless?"

Her cheeks turned pink, "Because I had to carry you in here, and because your clothes were wet."

He lifted the blankets and turned purple, seeing a pair of pants he didn't recognize, "You undressed me!"

Pink turned to crimson, "Tholi did. I assure you my curiousity **doesn't **get the better of me."

"You can leave now," he growled, embarrassment coursing through him, along with something else.

"Fine," she said, gathering everything up and rising gracefully, "I'll meet you in the courtyard in an hour. It's time for us to leave."

He watched her leave and got out of bed, seeing his clothes on the bench at the end of his bed, undressing and putting them back on. Someone had seen him nude. No one had ever looked at him nude before, especially not a woman. Then again, it wasn't as if there had been anything sexual in it, but he still would have liked to have been able to refuse. _At least it was Tholi and not Nozomi_. Heat flushed through his body at the thought, and he pushed it away as he put on his turban and cape, hearing strange noises behind several of the tapestries as he passed them.

x

"Aw, what vexes the little No-chan this morning?"

Nozomi turned from Kumori and watched Raye smirk at her, reminding her why she didn't like the older girl. She looked like a rat, and was just as trustworthy, "I'm fine, thank you."

Raye watched her turn back to the horse and frowned, then casually looked at her nails, "By the way, Otaka's great in bed."

"You can have him," Nozomi said, fighting down the murderous urge that filled her, "Good luck with that jealous streak in him."

She looked displeased with her reaction, or lack thereof, and turned around to stomp off, almost running into Piccolo. She blanched and skirted around him, watching Nozomi smile sweetly at him before she walked off, "Hmm."

"Feel better?" Nozomi asked, seeing his eyes were bloodshot.

"Just shut up and let's go," he growled, taking off and watching her swing up onto Kumori.

xxxx

After their return, Piccolo began noticing a subtle shift in Nozomi that he couldn't place. She seemed more confident, calmer, and -to his hearing's relief- quieter. By her fifteenth birthday, and after another growth spurt, he'd come to several realizations. One, her power level was increasing rapidly and was reaching what Gohan's power level had been on Namek; two, he still knew basically nothing about her; and three, she was attractive, and he was attracted to her. The last one he was refusing to accept, telling himself it was pointless, especially after Otaka's arrival that February. He'd gotten up and left until he knew the boy was gone after listening to his sentimental drivel and the way Nozomi was eating it up.

Now he was sitting under his tree in the yard in the hot July heat, and he opened his eyes as he heard her laugh. He watched her put her arm in front of her face as Siren shook water all over her and began prancing around the yard. Nozomi wiped the water off her face and put her hands on her hips, turning and smiling at him, "Aren't you hot P-sama?"

His eye twitched at her nickname for him, "Don't call me that."

"I'll take that as a yes," she laughed, "Why don't you take off that cape and turban? You'd be cooler without it."

He just closed his eyes and began meditating again, knowing ignoring her was usually the best policy.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, gathering up the things she had used to wash the horses.

x

She peeked down into the livingroom from the steps, seeing Piccolo looked fast asleep, and smiled, going back to her room. Putting on a gi, she jumped down from her balcony and looked back at the house, watching Kumori appear from the side of the house. She walked over and jumped onto her back, urging her forward, excitement coursing through her. She'd been sneaking out for over a month now, and each time she stayed out longer, reveling in the absolute freedom and the thrill of knowing she wasn't supposed to be doing it. Tonight, she wanted to go to some old ruins she'd found when she'd found Siren two years ago, not knowing why she hadn't thought of it before.

Halfway there, Kumori stopped and began tossing her head, and she got down to comfort her, watching in shock as the mare ran off. She grumbled something under her breath and looked up at the half moon through the trees, heaving a sigh. Beginning to walk, she listened carefully for anything unusual, and after half an hour, she'd reached the edge of the ruins.

Two decaying dragon statues guarded a crumbling stone wall, and she walked between them, a shock shooting through her body. She looked around, for a moment seeing walls and trees filled with blossoms, and when she blinked, it was gone, replaced by weeds and piles of rubble. Walking farther in, she realized this was once a temple, and wondered why it was destroyed as she moved into what had been the main sanctuary. The dias was still intact, as was the statue sitting on it. She stared, looking at the face of some terrible god, her hand immediately reaching around her neck to her amulet. A noise behind her made her spin around, and she watched a pair of eyes narrow at her from the deepest shadows.

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Sorry if this seemed rushed, but I think we've gotten the gist of what Nozomi and Piccolo do day in and out ;). Anyway, thanks to those that have reviewed. If you read this, please review, I'm a review whore and I like to hear from my readers!


	23. Save Me

"My, my. You're younger than I thought," a silky male voice said, the owner walking into the moonlight, "What's a pretty thing like you doing out of bed so late?"

"That's really none of your business," she said lowly, tensing as she looked at him.

He was tall and handsome, his black hair and pale skin offsetting both his maroon eyes and the inverted triangles under and between them. She watched him warily as he crossed his arms.

"How cute," he said, looking her over briefly, "Make a habit of sneaking out do we?"

"Who are you?" she asked, knowing she'd been stupid not to bring her swords.

"If you must know, I'm Shomentsu, hi-"

"High Demon. I know **what **you are," she said, watching him smirk, "Now, what do you want?"

"Don't be so hasty," he said casually, walking towards her and watching her reach reflexively to her hip and seeing she wasn't armed with a smirk, "I see. You're one of those pathetic girls of Solaria's."

"I'm not, and they aren't pathetic," she growled, straightening up again, "And I don't need a sword to defend myself from **filth **like you!"

"Such a disrespectful mouth," he said with a frown, beginning to circle her, "Now, what should I do with you? I could tear you into little pieces for being so insolent, but what fun is that in the long run?"

She kept her eyes on him, knowing he could and wouldn't hesitate to do exactly that, and remained silent. She remained ready to move as he stood in front of her and studied her like a bug under glass. He reached out and saw her flinch as he took a lock of her hair and played with it, admiring its texture. When she'd first landed, he'd thought she was another demon, since nothing else dared to step onto the grounds of the ruins, but her aura had given away that she wasn't one. He was trying to figure her out, wondering to himself why this girl was so intriguing to him. She was powerful, that was obvious, but it was a raw power.

"What's your name?" he asked, watching her narrow her eyes at him.

"Like I'm really going to tell you," she said, jumping back out of his reach.

"That mouth again," he scowled, snapping his fingers and watching her eyes widen as she tried unsuccessfully to move, "Maybe you'd be more respectful without a tongue."

She tried desperately to move, gaining partial movement back in her jaws and hands, and she felt a hand on her face. Panicking, she felt something inside her snap, and with a scream she jumped away, tripping and falling to the ground.

Shomentsu looked at his hand, staring in wonder as the blistered skin returned to normal, and looking down at her frightened face. He caught sight at her medallion and smirked, seeing the terror in her eyes, "So, you're a Toujoukai. How . . . interesting."

She just stared up at him, frozen with fear, crying out in surprise as he jerked her up and twisted her arm behind her back. He enjoyed her cry of pain as he ripped open her shirt with a deft swipe of his clawed hand, watching four gashes appear under her exposed breast. He wrenched her arm, making her scream, her back arching as she tried to relieve the pressure on her locked elbow and shoulder. He leaned down and ran his tongue over the wounds, groaning at the tasted of her blood. She whimpered and turned her head away, her entire side burning. His tongue ran up the side of her breast, her begging him to stop only urging him on. A sudden blast of energy made him jump back, and he dropped her on the ground.

She covered herself as a familiar form landed in front of her, and she looked up, "Piccolo!"

"Get out of here," he said gruffly, glancing back at her, "Now!"

She did just that, tears streaming down her face as she ran. Tripping over an exposed tree root, she laid there and sobbed, pushing up to wrap her sash around her injured side and covering her breast. A hand landed on her shoulder and she screamed, knocking it away and looking up. She found her feet and threw her arms around Piccolo's waist, crying harder.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked, pushing her back and looking at the remains of her shirt and her wrapped torso, reaching for the sash.

"No!" she said quickly, covering her chest, "N-not too bad."

He took off his shirt and handed it to her, turning his head as she took hers off and put it on, "Then let's go home."

She nodded, silent in the oversized top as he walked back next to her. She moved closer to him, wanting to be comforted, "Piccolo. . ."

He stopped and looked at her, watching a large tear slide down her face, "What Nozomi?"

"Will- will you carry me?" she asked shyly, seeing he was staring at her.

He raised a brow an then sighed, it wouldn't kill him to act like he cared once, "Fine."

She climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling him hook his arms under her knees and wrapping her legs around his waist. She rested her forehead against his neck, and one corner of his lips turned up.

"Piccolo . . ."

"Hmm."

"Thank you for saving me."

"I wouldn't have to if - Never mind," he growled, knowing now was not the time to scold her, muttering 'You're welcome' under his breath instead. His eyes widened as he felt a tear roll down his neck and his mood softened, "I won't let anyone hurt you again. I promise."

She held onto him a bit tighter, feeling her eyelids droop and beginning to fall asleep, feeling safe.

xxxx

She woke up on the couch, wincing as she sat, feeling hot. She looked over and saw Piccolo was watching her, and she looked away.

"I didn't see anything if that's what you're thinking about," he said, getting an idea of what she seemed embarrassed about.

She nodded, standing and walking slowly up to her room. Taking off her shirt and removing her sash, she looked at the angry red gashes, the skin around them almost blue and hot. She groaned and held her hand to them, watching the familiar golden light appear in her hand, pulling her hand away when she felt no relief. The gashes were still there, and now they were oozing a black liquid, and she gagged. The smell was horrible, something between infection and dead flesh. She inhaled deeply, pain burning from her neck to her hip as she staggered to the bathroom.

Turning the water on as hot as she could stand, she took off her amulet and got under the spray. She screamed as it hit her raw flesh, feeling like she was being stabbed over and over. She fell to her knees, holding her ribs again, using all her energy to produce a white light. She felt something hotter than the water run down her side and leg as the wounds knitted together. Looking toward the drain, she saw the same black liquid running slowly down it, and she vomited up bile before she could look away. She washed quickly, feeling drained as she dried herself off and pulled on more clothing. She looked at her soiled sash, and then at Piccolo's shirt. Picking it up, she held it to her, inhaling his scent, and carried it downstairs and looked at him.

He looked up and raised a brow, "What?"

"I'm washing clothes I was going to see if you wanted me to wash yours," she said, noticing he had on another shirt.

"And what am I going to wear in the meantime?" he asked, watching her disappear, his face showing concern until she reappeared holding a bundle.

She handed it to him and tried to hide her smile as he examined it, "I got them at the last tournament, when I went out with Lynn, I hope I got the right size."

He stared at the tee shirt, and then looked at the jeans, looking back at her, "Are you serious?"

She blinked, "Well, yeah. I mean, surely you wear something else every once in a while."

"Fine, I'll humor you, but just this once," he growled, walking out of the room.

x

She was putting clothes in the washing machine when a pile suddenly landed at her feet, and she saw it was Piccolo's clothes. She stared at him as he walked away from her, or rather at his backside, her jaw slack. Shutting it with a snap, she picked up his gi in a daze, wondering why she never noticed he was that hot. _What are you thinking about, he's your trainer and your friend, not some piece of meat! _

"Yeah, but, wow," she said to herself, staring off dreamily as she closed the washing machine on her hand with a howl of pain.

Piccolo heard her scream and sighed, watching her stare at him when she walked back in to sit on the couch, "What?"

"Nothing, you just look . . . good," she said, watching his cheeks flush, and turning on the television before she had time to do the same.

"_Still on the minds of everyone is this year's Tenkaichi Boudaki and its champion, Hurcule Satan. You probably remember Mr. Satan from the Cell Games, where he defeated the horrible monster Cell, and saved the world. Since then, Mr. Satan has resided in what was formerly Orange Star City, newly renamed Satan City after its most revered citizen."_

Piccolo looked up and scowled, spotting the incredulous look on Nozomi's face, and turned back to the television.

"_As you know, next year marks the sixth running of the Woman's World Martial Arts Tournament, which The Champ has again agreed to sit on the panel of judges. Predictions have been made that reigning champion Nozomi Sensono will again have another strong showing, but for the past year, all eyes have been on Ika Mono_. _Another newcomer being trained by The Champ. Like last tournament's hopeful, Lynnis Takomae, Mono has been sweeping the regional circuits, and plans to give Sensono a run for her money . . ."_

xxxx

"Can I talk to you?"

Nozomi sighed and continued doing kata, wishing Otaka hadn't came to the Temple, "You just were. Whatever you have to say, make it quick."

"Would you at least pretend like you can hear me?"

"I can hear you just fine," she growled, stopping and turning to look at him, "Now, what do you want?"

He walked up to her and took her hands, watching her raise an eyebrow.

Piccolo paused, stepping back into the shadows of the courtyard, a frown etched on his face, _What is **he **doing here?_

"I want to tell you the truth," Otaka began, "I - I didn't sleep with Raye. When she told me she said that to you, I was furious. I would have talked to you about it sooner, but I knew you wouldn't listen to me. You're so stubborn sometimes. Can you forgive me?"

"So you waited two years?" she asked sarcastically, a small smile on her face.

He rolled his eyes, _How pathetic_.

She watched Otaka's cheek flush and smiled gently, "Yes."

Her eyes widened as he kissed her, shock registering in her brain.

Piccolo felt suddenly cold, and he turned and walked away, not allowing himself to admit he was jealous.

Nozomi pushed him away, a sad look on her face, "Only if you can forgive me for not loving you the way you want me too."

"I see," he said, and then smiled, pulling her to him, "Of course No-chan."

"Thank you Otaka," she whispered, hugging him back.

x

Piccolo felt arms wrap around his neck from behind, restraining a little smile, "What Nozomi."

"Piccolo, how do you know when you're in love?" she asked, resting her cheek against his neck.

He felt his stomach drop, "I don't know."

"Because, I thought I was in love with Otaka, but . . . I think I'm in love with someone else. . ."

He opened his eyes.

" . . . but I don't know how they feel, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel," she continued, "It's just so confusing."

She sighed and kissed his cheek, "Anyway, thanks for listening to me babble. We're leaving early tomorrow. You might want to get some sleep."

He turned his head and watched her walk away, several emotions surging through him. Why did she have to make his life so complicated?


	24. Rumors and Perverts

"I'm so glad they did away with the beauty pageant this year," Nozomi said, putting her arms behind her head as she and Piccolo walked towards the sign up booth.

He hummed and glanced down at her, his gaze drawn to her cleavage again, and then looked forward, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Nozomi!"

They both turned and watched Gohan wave at them, and Nozomi laughed, waving back, "Gohan!"

Piccolo frowned as Chi Chi came into view, and looked down at Gohan with a smile.

"Hey Piccolo," he said, then looked at Nozomi, "Wow, you're as tall as I am now!"

She giggled, "Almost. Where is everyone else?"

"They won't be here until tomorrow. You're here early too. I figured you wouldn't be here until the finals," he said.

She gave him a confused look, "I **have **to participate in the preliminaries. It's the rules. Kind of like, until this year, we had to participate in the World Pageant."

"You're kidding?" Gohan asked, watching her shake her head.

"Nozomi! Look how you've grown!" Chi Chi said, hugging her and giving Piccolo a sideways glare, "I'm glad to see that you're all right."

"Never better," she said pointedly, her smile somewhat forced, "I'm glad you all could come out."

Piccolo raised a brow, he'd never seen her act falsely polite. He watched her glance at him and give him a look he couldn't place, and then she posted a sweet smile on her face and cocked her head.

"We were going to dinner after I sign in, why don't you join us?"

Chi Chi seemed to consider it for a moment, and looked at Gohan, "Of course we'll go with you."

"Great," she said, "I've got to get over to the booth, but you all can go rest in my tent. It's the fourth one in the first row. Tholi should be there."

They turned and left, and Nozomi turned on Piccolo, catching him off guard, "Could you make it any more obvious!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confusion etched all over his face. If she didn't stop the moody crap he was going to have to straighten her out.

"You were looking at me like I'd grown horns," she growled, walking towards the admission booth, "If you weren't so plastic, everyone would have noticed I was trying not to strangle her."

"Plastic?" he asked, his eye twitching, "What is your problem lately?"

She stuck out her lip as she signed in, her eyes icy as she turned back towards him, "I'm just saying you could have played it a little bit cooler."

"I wasn't playing anything!" he yelled, making the man behind the desk stare at them, "I've just never seen you lie!"

"I wasn't lying!" she screamed, balling up a fist and shaking it at him, "I was being polite, no wonder you didn't realize what it was!"

"What! You are such a brat!"

"Better a brat than a big toad-frog!"

"If it wouldn't get you disqualified, I'd beat the shit out of you right now!" he screamed, watching her walk away smugly.

"Actually sir, if you're her trainer, you are allowed to spar," the man behind the counter said, hiding again in case Piccolo decided to unleash his wrath on him.

Nozomi stopped and turned around, her face pale and her eyes wide at the evil smirk that was on the Namek's face, "Now Piccolo, remember-"

She began running, screaming at the top of her lungs, Piccolo walking behind her shaking his head. He could wait until she least expected it, that would be much more rewarding. He chuckled, then he'd figure out something appropriate for her newfound sense of sass.

xxxx

"_And the subject of the past two weeks have been the upcoming Woman's World Martial Arts Tournament, and Ika Mono."_

"Hey, turn that up!"

"_That's right Bob, especially with Sensono's showing at the tournament four years ago, many are speculating that her raw talent may not be enough this year."_

"That's total crap! They shouldn't be allowed to- OW!"

Gohan raised his brows as Tholi knocked the girl sitting next to her in the back of the head, looking over at Nozomi, who was calmly sipping her drink. Then he saw her eye twitch and realized that her facade was beginning to crack.

"Don't worry Nozomi, you did great last year, they can't deny that," another of the temple girls said, "Funny how they didn't mention that record knock out from the last tournament."

"Because Mr. Satan's the world champion," Kosui said, rubbing the back of her head, "Of course they're going to believe that his bullshit student- OW! Tholi!"

Nozomi chuckled, "There's a reason she put you next to her Sui."

Kosui grumbled, pouting as she pushed her food around on her plate, "You're way better than anything that fro-headed monkey can train."

_"She may have talent, but she lacks the experience that a seasoned and professional fighter like myself has to win this year."_

Nozomi shot a glare at the television, and it suddenly blew up, a few people screaming. Everyone at the table stared at her, and she glanced around, her face red, and heard Piccolo chuckle. Chi Chi's mouth looked ready to hit the floor, and Gohan raised a brow, blinking.

"Cheap televisions. Sure don't make 'em like they used to, huh?" she said, laughing nervously, beginning to shovel food in her mouth.

"Nozomi, eat like a civilized human," Tholi snapped, her face the definition of angry, and she glanced at Piccolo, watching him close his eyes to avoid any kind of communication.

"Sorry," Nozomi said, wiping her mouth with her napkin, and looking at Gohan's plate, "You gonna eat that?"

xxxx

Nozomi breezed through the preliminaries, throwing most of her opponents out of the ring within ten seconds, making most people shy away from her when she exited the ring. While waiting for the first of the semi-finals, she stretched with Kosui, and didn't realize there was a crowd of reporters coming towards her.

"Miss Sensono, how do you feel about Mono's claims of beating you tomorrow in the finals?"

"Miss Sensono, is there any truth that you use unapproved training methods?"

"Miss Sensono, would you be opposed to posing nude for our magazine?"

She faltered and accidently kicked Kosui in the back of the head, making the girl punch her in the shoulder, not seeing her pull her hand back and shake it with tears in her eyes, "What!"

They all began talking at once and she shook her head, "You all are worse than a pack of ravenous wolves."

She began walking away, dragging Kosui with her, who was whining about being the brunt of undeserved abuse. They walked back to the tent, seeing Tholi raise her brows as they entered, watching the woman bar the way.

"I'm sorry, no one is allowed in this tent but Sensono-San and her attendants," she said, "I'd appreciate if you would please leave. It's time for our afternoon prayer."

The reporters stared at her, "Can you answer a few questions then?"

Tholi frowned, "I believe I said it was our prayer time. Maybe later I can answer your questions, but we need at least an hour."

She turned and entered the tent, watching Nozomi smirk at her, "What?"

"Last time I checked, you only pray at sunrise and sunset."

"Those bakas don't know that," Tholi smiled, seeing Piccolo smirk as well as he supposedly meditated in the corner, "We need to talk about what happened yesterday with that television."

"I don't know what happened," she sighed, tired of everyone interrogating her about it. Kosui had been the worst, trying to get her to blow up everything around them.

"I see," she said, shooting Piccolo a look, "What time are the semi-finals?"

"In an hour," she replied, rubbing her nose, "You won't believe it, but some guy asked me if I wanted to pose nude for a magazine."

Tholi and Piccolo both stared at her, Piccolo looking her over and then shutting his eyes again, his cheeks purple. Tholi blinked, shaking her head, "I hope you refused."

Her eye twitched, "Of course I did."

"Tholi, that boy's back to see Nozomi," Kosui said, peeking out of the tent.

Tholi made a motion with her hand, and Gohan came in, "Did you know there's a crowd of-"

"Yes," she and Tholi both replied, looking frustrated.

"I was just going to tell you that you better talk to them soon, because apparently someone's running some kind of smear campaign against you."

"**WHAT**!"

He jumped, two angry women in his face, "Y- Yeah. They're saying you're using steroids and rigging the matches, and that the officials are going to be doing some kind of tests on you and question your opponents."

"And who's doing this?" Tholi asked, looking deadly.

"Mono's representative no doubt," Nozomi sighed, "I heard her talking earlier. She even made the comment that she bet my breasts were fake; the shrew."

Gohan suddenly stared at her chest, his cheeks red.

"Don't worry about it Tholi, I'll take care of it," she said, putting her shoes back on.

"Where are you going?" Tholi asked, watching her.

"To work out. I'm not going to say anything or kill anyone, relax," she joked, walking out of the tent and immediately engulfed by reporters.

Gohan watched her leave and then looked at Piccolo, "Why haven't you taught her to control her ki?"

He opened his eyes, and raised a brow, "Because she hasn't mentioned it, and until recently her power level has been so erratic I didn't think it was a wise move."

"Hmm. I guess that makes sense. I thought you just didn't want to," Gohan said, "So I guess that means she can't fly either then."

Piccolo smirked, "No, and that's what keeps me sane."

Tholi laughed, knowing exactly what he meant.

xxxx

"Due to the controversies regarding you and your alleged - though false - activities, I'm afraid we cannot allow you to compete in this tournament again."

"I see."

"But of course, with your skill you should be able to compete quite effectively at the Tenkaichi Budokai."

Nozomi sighed, "And what about the slander issue?"

"Hurcule Satan and Ika Mono have both assured us that they had no prior knowledge of their PR rep and her 'claims' against you," the tournament magistrate said, "And we can't prove that they did."

"I see."

"Miss Sensono, I can honestly say that I personally will take care of this issue with the press, and what I've told you about further competition on your part will not go beyond the walls of this room."

"Thank you, sir," she said, bowing, "And good day to you."

She turned to leave but turned back when he called after her.

"Wipe the smug look off Mono and the '_Champ's_' faces for me," he said, giving her a wink.

She smiled and left, seeing Piccolo was leaning against the wall outside the door, "You followed me?"

"I was bored," he said, straightening up, "I thought you were working out."

"You really think Tholi would have let me do that by myself?" she asked, "I'm a grown woman, I can take care of my business myself."

They began walking back to the tent, and she sighed, "How much did you hear?"

"Who said I was listening?" he asked, telling himself he hadn't because he was actually concerned, and was simply trying to find her when she hadn't been in the gym.

She chuckled, "Because, you countered my question with a defensive one."

"Fair enough," he smiled, "The Tenkaichi Budokai isn't for another two years."

"I know," she said, raising a brow, _Please say you're staying. Please say you're staying with me._

"You've still got a lot to learn before then," he said, noticing she was inching closer to him.

"Like what?" she asked, watching him swallow when their arms brushed.

"Like your temper," he smirked.

Her eye twitched, "I'll show you temper!"

She went to punch him and he flipped her onto her face, watching her get up with a mouth full of dirt.

"I am in no way related to a frog," he said, watching her glare at him, enjoying his little revenge, "And you should have been able to counter that."

She spit out the sod, indignance all over her face, "You- you-"

"We'll have to work on that," he said.

"Fine," she said, restraining the grin that threatened.

He turned, not seeing her dance excitedly as he walked away, glad she couldn't see the pleased smile on his face.

xxxx

"Yamcha, hey!"

Nozomi turned, watching Gohan wave at the man as he walked over, smiling, hearing the others greet him and Puar independently.

Master Roshi and Oolong had arrived earlier that morning, Bulma and Vegeta arriving after lunch, the rest arriving just before Yamcha and Puar. Master Roshi and Oolong were ogling every woman that passed, not before they'd greeted Nozomi a bit too enthusiastically.

"Hey," she said, watching Yamcha blink at her.

"Wow Nozomi, you're stacked!" he blurted out, staring at her.

"Yamcha!" Bulma yelled.

"Well, I have gotten taller Bulma, it's okay," Nozomi said naively, watching Bulma look at her.

"That's not what he- Oh, never mind!" Bulma sighed, shaking her head.

"You fighting in that?" Yamcha said, looking at the short tube dress.

"Oh, no. We just got back from having dinner. I'm going to change right now," she replied, not seeing Master Roshi and Oolong look sideways at each other, "You all better go and get your seats, or you'll be in the nosebleed section."

"I think it'll be the nosebleed section no matter where we sit," Bulma said sarcastically, shooting a glance at the old lecher, the pig, and Yamcha.

"Okay," Nozomi said, confused, "I'll see you all later!"

She began walking off, flipping her hair off her shoulder, looking up at the clock tower as she neared her tent. Tholi and the others had decided to leave her alone to change this time, but had laid out her gi for her. She pushed off the dress, kicking it to the side and slipping out of her sandals. She thought she heard something click and pushed it aside, beginning to put up her hair in nothing but a thong.

x

"Where did Master Roshi go?" Krillin asked, looking at the empty seat next to Yamcha.

"Oolong's not here either," Bulma said, "And neither's the camera. I bet those sneaks are off somewhere taking pictures of girls."

x

"These are gonna be great!" Oolong whispered, peeking through the tent flaps as Master Roshi snapped pictures.

"What do you think you're doing?"

They both froze, their faces nearly translucent as they looked up and Piccolo crossed his arms, a deep frown on his face.

"We were just, um . . ." Oolong said, ready to faint.

"Making sure no one tried to sneak in on dear little No-chan," Master Roshi said, trying to hide the camera.

"Right," Piccolo said, pointing a finger up and the camera rising above the perverts' heads, "Planning on catching them in the act too I suppose?"

Master Roshi grinned, "Come on Piccolo, you know you want to-"

"Don't go there," he growled menacingly, throwing the camera up and blowing it up with a kousengan, and turning back to the two, "I suggest you leave now."

The two ran away, and Piccolo rolled his eyes, watching Nozomi poke her head out.

"Did you just blow something up?"

"No," he said, watching her give him a disbelieving look as she walked out tying her sash, seeing she was wearing a plum gi with his insignia with a green sash.

"Are you going to sit with Gohan and the others, or are you going with me?"

He thought about it a moment, "I'll be with the others."

She nodded, the two of them walking together until the entrance to the arena, where she began walking to the waiting area, watching him as he found the others in the stands.

xxxx

Nozomi watched Mono viciously kick her opponent out of the ring, arrogance coming off the woman in waves. She frowned, watching Mono point her finger at her, and looked at Tholi, watching her frown as well. Mono passed her and gave her a cocky smirk.

"I'm really going to enjoy beating you," she said, making Nozomi raise an eyebrow.

"We'll see," Nozomi said, watching Mono's smirk falter.


	25. The Anticipated Match

The girl landed gently outside the ring and watched Nozomi walk by, staring at her.

"What was that?" Tholi asked, "You threw her out of the ring and then decided she didn't need to fall?"

"She's young Tholi," she replied.

"She's your age!" she countered, crossing her arms.

"I figured you'd be pleased that I'm capable of compassion," she said, looking at her, "I could have broken her like I do the older ones, but I didn't. Give me a break Tholi, I won. None of these fighters are on my level anymore."

"You're getting arrogant," Tholi frowned, watching Nozomi sigh, "But unfortunately, I think you're right. Maybe Mono will be."

She snorted, "Maybe. We'll see tomorrow."

xxxx

Piccolo watched Nozomi stretch with the temple girls the next morning, eventually having to look away. For the first time in his life, his body was starting to betray him, and he didn't know how to feel about this recent development. It had started after Nozomi's birthday, when he'd seen Otaka kiss her, and he'd realized she meant more to him than he had previously thought. Now he was beginning to see her as a woman, not just a fighter, not just Nozomi, but as an entirely different entity.

Nozomi could no longer hide behind her gi anymore, and no longer attempted to. She had grown up with women who promoted their sexuality freely upon their sixteenth year, and it showed. She oozed femininity and grace out of her gi, could stop men of any age in their tracks with a single look, and seemed neither to notice nor care. Intense training had made her body a beautiful combination of hard and soft. Like the Solarian priestesses she was muscular, but not overly so, curvy but not fleshy. Her features were elegant and ageless, her smile bewitching, and her glare frightening.

He swallowed, trying to push her out of his mind only to have her burned deeper into his consciousness. Why was he having so much trouble concentrating? It was beginning to gnaw at him.

'_It's lust.'_

He frowned, _What exactly do you think you're doing?_

'_Enlightening you to your present query.'_

_Well, don't. Just shut up and leave me alone._

'_If that's what you really want. Though, I think we both know what you **really **want.'_

_All I want is for you to stop popping up at random intervals trying to give me your **ignorant **opinions._

'_Alright, fine. But it's not going to-'_

_**I said shut up Nail**!_ he mentally screamed.

His mind cleared and he sighed, trying not to think about it, but not having any success. _Lust? _He glanced at Nozomi as she slowly leaned forward while in a split and arched her back, closing his eyes again. _Damn it, what if he's right?_

xxxx

They all turned their heads towards the sound of deliberate yelling, seeing two lines of drummers and a pair of lion dancers coming into the arena ahead of Ika Mono. Nozomi raised an eyebrow and heard Kosui talking to Tholi.

"Why don't we do that?"

"Because I don't need drummers and dancers to know I'm good," Nozomi answered, watching Tholi smile, and seeing Piccolo smirk.

Ika Mono walked between the rows of drummers behind the lions, a smug look on her face, and took her spot in the ring opposite from Nozomi, "That's how a real champion enters."

"Martial arts isn't about PR stunts," Kosui muttered, still looking begrudgingly impressed.

Nozomi simply sighed, bowing in and waiting for the referee.

x

"Wow, that was impressive," Bulma said, staring at the elaborate silk gi Mono was wearing and then looking at Nozomi's plain gi, "Kind of makes Nozomi look like a bumpkin."

"It's not about material or flashy entrances," Chi Chi said, "Goku never needed those things."

"That's because Goku is a bumpkin," Krillin said, wincing as Chi Chi conked him on the head.

x

At the sound of the gong Mono flew at Nozomi and tried to pummel her, but couldn't land a hit anywhere. Nozomi jumped back after a few minutes and crossed her arms, a blank look on her face, "If that's all you've got, we might as well call this match."

"You little bitch, why don't you just hold still and I'll show you!" Mono panted, clenching her fists.

"Have at it," she shrugged, getting into a neutral stance, "You take a shot, and I'll take a shot."

Mono smirked, "Fine by me."

x

Tholi sighed, "Piccolo really needs to bring her down a few notches."

Kosui looked at her, "But Tholi, why don't you do it."

Tholi remained silent, and Kosui's eyes widened, "No way!"

x

Mono jumped at her again and punched Nozomi right in the jaw, and blanched as her head barely turned. She took a step back and saw there wasn't even a red mark, the color draining from her face, "What the hell are you?"

Nozomi smirked, moving forward and landing an open palm strike in the center of Mono's chest, knocking her back onto the ground, "I'm the one that's going to win this match. That's what I am. Now, get up and let's finish this."

She didn't catch the small movement of Mono's hand until she flung her arm, and Nozomi yelled in pain, shaking her head.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mono has just added new meaning to the phrase 'dirty fighting'! Let's see if Sensono can recover from this or if it'll cost her the fight!"

Nozomi shook her head, cursing that they had to use sand in the block, and felt a hard kick to her ribs that caught her off guard and knocked her back. Pain blocked everything else out, and she couldn't focus over the roaring of the crowd.

x

"Hey! That's cheating!" Bulma screamed, shaking her fist.

"Disqualify her!" Chi Chi yelled, standing up and almost dropping Goten.

Gohan looked at Piccolo, and saw an look of stoic concern on his face and heard him mutter, "Focus Nozomi."

x

Another blow moved her back again, the sand in her eyes making it impossible to open them without pain, and she heard Tholi's voice over the crowd.

"You're at the line! Focus!"

She grunted at a hard blow to her chest, and felt her foot start to move. Without thinking, she twisted her feet and felt the earth below them move over them and stabilize her, and she took and a deep breath and pushed her hands forward palms out. She heard Mono's startled yell as a gust of wind knocked her backwards, and Nozomi released her feet and took another deep breath, lowering her power level to find Mono's ki signature. Finding it she got into a neutral position and waited, her eyes closed.

Mono looked at her, and scowled, _So, she thinks she can fight me blind?_

She rushed at her, and was shocked as Nozomi blocked not only the punch to her face, but the kick to her ribs. Mono dodged a palm strike and tried to sweep her feet, Nozomi bringing her knee down and absorbing to blow in her thigh and buttock. Suddenly Mono found herself in the dirt with her shirt torn, trying to remember when Nozomi had thrown her or even grabbed her. She watched her stand, and moved silently behind Nozomi, rushing her. At the last moment Nozomi did a split and pressed her chest to the ground, getting up by sweeping her legs around her.

Tears flowed down her now dirt stained face as her eyes tried to flush out the grit, and she decided with Mono's next move she was just going to push her out of the ring. She felt her on her left and grabbed her punching arm, using the other woman's momentum to spin her and throw her, listening with a satisfied smile to the ensuing thud.

"Amazing ladies and gentlemen, Sensono has just thrown Mono out of the ring **blindly**! What an end to a **fantastic **match! Nozomi Sensono is now the **Six Time Champion of the Woman's World Martial Arts Tournament**!"

She heard the roar of the crowd and then felt someone tilting her head up and cool water hitting her face. She opened her eyes with a sigh and blinked, everything still blurry. Someone, Tholi if she had to guess, put their hands over her eyes and she saw gold for a moment before she opened them, her vision clear. She saw Kosui beside her self with excitement, Gohan and the others cheering in the stands, Tholi was still carefully examining her face, and then she looked at Piccolo, seeing a corner of his lips turn up as he gave her a single nod.


	26. Tension

"Congratulations!" Bulma cried, watching Nozomi walk out of her tent.

"Thanks," she blushed.

"Zomi!"

They all turned to see a purple haired girl waving at them as she tried to push through the crowd, and Nozomi laughed, "Lynn!"

They ran towards each other, though how they ran in mini skirts and heels was beyond any of them, and threw their arms around each other, squealing insanely. Piccolo's eye began twitching, and when it finally stopped, he sighed in relief.

"When did you get here!"

"I got here before the finals. Girl you kicked ass!"

They began chattering, and Nozomi seemed to finally notice everyone staring at her, "Oh, Lynn, let me introduce you to my friends."

The introductions went as expected, Master Roshi, Oolong, and Yamcha the ones who almost forced Nozomi to have to drag her away. Though apparently, the attention from Yamcha was fine, as Lynn began flirting with him shamelessly. Nozomi rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Oh, I was coming to see if you wanted to go out tonight," Lynn said, looking at her, "All of you. You know to celebrate?"

"Sure," she said, "Tholi said we won't leave until tomorrow anyway."

"Great! Who else wants to go?"

"I think we'll be heading home tonight," Chi Chi said, looking at Gohan, "But I suppose you can too. Just don't be home too late."

Gohan stared at her, tempted to ask where his mother was, "Thanks Mom."

"Well, I'm definitely going," Bulma said, "I haven't been out in so long. I guess I better jump at the chance since my parents are watching Trunks. There's no need to even ask you, is there?"

She was referring to Oolong and Master Roshi, who had been attempting to look under Nozomi's skirt until they'd caught Piccolo's glare.

"You want to go honey?" Krillin asked, looking at 18.

"I'd love to, but who's going to watch Marron?"

"I'll watch her," Kosui chirped, coming out in time to hear an offer to watch the cute little girl, "I love children."

Marron took the opportunity to grab Kosui's hair and yank it painfully, Kosui's jade green eyes tearing up. Nozomi smiled, "You sure you don't-"

"Tholi would kill me," she whispered, "I'm surprised you asked."

"Well, let's go," Lynn said, purposefully grabbing Yamcha's arm.

"Are you going Piccolo?" Nozomi asked, watching him raise a brow, "Come on, I brought you some clothes, why don't you come along?"

"No," he said, watching Gohan look at him and mentally curse.

"Yeah Piccolo, come with us," he added, not seeing Nozomi's Cheshire grin.

"You're outnumbered P-sama," she smirked, pointing towards the tent, "Now go and change, and I don't want to here any complaints."

"I'm not-"

"If you don't go, I won't talk to you ever ag-" she scowled.

"Than I'm definitely staying here," he smirked.

She took a deep breath, "Then just go as you are!"

She grabbed his arm and began dragging him, making Gohan stare at them.

"They sure are . . . something," he muttered, shaking his head.

x

"How do you find these places?" Nozomi asked, sitting back down at their table with a large drink.

"We went here last time," Lynn smiled from Yamcha's lap, "What is that and how many have you had?"

"It's a Lay Me Down and Fuck Me, and it's my-" she began counting on her fingers as everyone but Vegeta stared at her, "I'm gonna say third, maybe tenth."

"You're drunk!" Lynn laughed, watching Nozomi pout.

"I am most certainly not!" Nozomi scowled, draining half of her drink, "And that is that!"

"I'm ready to dance," Lynn said, pulling Nozomi's drink away and finishing it, "Come on Zomi."

"Oh fine!" she sighed, grabbing Gohan and pulling him up, "Come on Gohan, relax a little and let's dance."

"But, I-" he began, seeing Vegeta and Krillin both smirking, "What?"

"Go on, I think you'll have more fun than you think," Krillin said with a wink.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Gohan said, his cheeks turning red.

He allowed her to drag him onto the dance floor, looking over at Yamcha and Lynn, and jumping when Nozomi turned and pressed against him. He began relaxing after a few minutes, beginning to move with her, his face feeling hot as she ground against him.

x

Piccolo watched them with a frown, not seeing Vegeta look at him and smirk.

"Jealous Namek?"

He scowled, shooting the Saiyan a glare, "Don't be absurd."

"I'm surprised she got you to come. Then again, come might be the key word," Vegeta continued.

"I have no idea what you're going on about," he growled, wishing he couldn't hear him over the music.

"I'm sure," he said, ordering another beer.

x

Nozomi dropped down and then rose back up, running her hands over Gohan's body as she did, watching him blush. She glanced over and saw Piccolo staring at them as she rolled her hips and leaned back, rolling her entire body against Gohan's as she moved back up. Gohan stared at her and watched Lynn pull her over to a go-go platform, his jaw dropping as they began grinding against each other.

x

"Mom's going to kill me if I don't get home soon," Gohan said two hours later, watching Nozomi's head hit the table as she passed out.

"Yeah, we better get going," Bulma agreed, "It's a long drive back, even in an air car. You all keep in touch this time."

"Sure thing, Bye Bulma, Gohan," Krillin said, "Come on 18, we need to get Marron."

"Who's going to carry Nozomi?" 18 asked, looking over at her, "She sure as hell can't walk like that."

"I'd be happy to do it," Master Roshi said, disappointed when Piccolo grabbed her and tossed her over a shoulder, holding her so her skirt was impossible to look up.

"Well, see you later Piccolo," Krillin said, containing a smile, "Good luck with her."

Piccolo grumbled under his breath, hearing her groan when they got outside.

"Put me down," she moaned.

"No," he growled, angry at her for a reason he couldn't name.

"Fine you bastard, when I vomit, I'm aiming down your shirt."

He rolled his eyes and tossed her into the fountain they were passing, "Sober up then."

"YOU **EVIL**!" she screamed, coming out sputtering and shaking, "Now I'm freezing!"

He watched her shiver for a moment and then wordlessly took his cape off his pauldrons and put it around her shoulders. She wrapped it around her and caught up with him as he walked back towards the stadium, "Why are you angry with me?"

He looked down at her, looking at her flushed cheeks and her slightly blue lips, "I'm not."

"You're not good at lying," she sniffed, looking up at him, "What is it, really?"

"Nothing Nozomi," he replied, feeling her put her arm through his.

She leaned her head against him, feeling unbearably tired as they reached the tent.

xxxx

"When are you going to teach me to fly?"

Piccolo opened an eye and watched as she loaded a bag into the van, "When you're ready."

"Any clue when that'll be?"

"When I say so," he replied, watching her scowl at him.

"And if I figure it out before you have that epiphany?"

"Then good for you," he said, standing up, "It'll save me some aggravation."

He took off and she sighed angrily, "I can't wait for the day when that no longer works."

x

Piccolo walked into the house and flipped on a light, sighing at the heavy silence. As he entered the livingroom he glanced at the bookshelf, going over and looking at the titles.

"_Island of the Four Seasons_," he muttered, pulling it down and taking it over to read.

x

"Siren's ready to train," Tholi said, watching Nozomi look up from her book, "And the Warhorse trials are in August."

"Am I even allowed to enter?" Nozomi asked, raising a brow.

"You're not a priestess," she replied, "I'd like to see you enter the Path of the Ancients too."

"With Siren? I don't know, she's only three," Nozomi said, concerned, "It's a long race."

"Just think about it," she said, "You can at least have her ready for the Trials."

"I suppose I could," she nodded, "But, I don't know about the Path. Horses, and people, die in it all the time. I don't know if I'd be ready, much less Siren."

x

He walked silently and purposefully into her room, spotting her over at the balcony doors. The long white dress she was wearing clung to her curves, and he closed the door, watching her turn and walk towards him. He fought to hold himself still as she slid a hand up his chest.

"I've been waiting for you," she whispered seductively, the dress falling from her shoulders to the floor with the pull of a ribbon, "I'm yours."

He pulled her to him possessively and kissed her roughly, his hands roving over her pert breasts, pulling a sigh from her lips. She began pushing off his clothes, the feel of her hands on his skin making him tremble. He picked her up before he lost control and tossed her light frame on the bed, staring hungrily at her as he removed the rest of his clothes.

x

Nozomi walked in carrying her bags and glanced into the living room, pausing and raising a brow. She backed up and looked in. Piccolo was reading one of her books with the queerest expression on his face. With a shrug she continued upstairs; she'd ask once everything was unpacked.

x

With a final groan he collapsed against her, softly kissing her lips, "That was amazing."

She smiled, tracing his jaw as they basked in the glow of their lovemaking, her coral lips parting. . . .

"Whatcha reading?"

Piccolo yelled in shock, watching Nozomi fall back and stare at him, "Don't sneak up on me!"

"I didn't! And how could I with those satellites on the sides of your head?" she yelled back, "Gods, you act like I caught you doing something dirty."

"I'm not!"

She blinked and then smirked, "What **are **you reading?"

With a frown he incinerated it, "Nothing."

"Dammit Piccolo, you can't go burning me books!" she screamed, pausing, "Are you blushing?"

He felt more blood rush to his face, "No!"

"You **are**!" her smirk returned, "What is it P-sama?"

"Nothing,' he growled, wishing she'd drop it.

"Were you reading a chick book?" her face looked ready to split if she grinned any wider.

"No," he muttered, his eyes roving over her once, his tongue unconsciously running over his lips.

She paused, taken aback by the way her body reacted to the small action, and then forced a chuckle, "Okay, okay, I'll leave you alone. I'm going to take a shower." _A very cold shower_.

He watched her leave, heaving a sigh before he got up to get himself a glass of water.

xxxx

Nozomi put her hands on either side of her supporting foot on the balance pole, carefully doing a handstand and scissoring her legs, a drop of sweat running down the bridge of her nose. She snorted and blew it off, wishing she had a shorter pair of doge pants. She'd begun wearing the choli and leg wraps that was the Temple style with her normal pants, finding them more comfortable in the humid July weather.

Piccolo opened his eyes and looked at her, sweat running down the valley of his spine even as he sat in the shade under his oak tree. He'd abandoned his turban and cape before ten, the humidity and heat climbing steadily since then, beginning to make him regret coming outside. He watched a bead of sweat trickle down Nozomi's flexed stomach and swallowed hard, his mouth dry, fighting against the pulling sensation that had started in his groin. Trying to clear his mind to meditate was becoming increasingly hard as of late.

'_Not the only thing getting-'_

_Nail, I swear, if you don't stop-_

'_Come on **P-sama**_**,'** the other Namek's smirk was obvious,_ 'Just admit you desire her.'_

_I don't. Do me a favor and go to Hell!_

"Piccolo?"

He opened his eyes and saw Nozomi standing there, "What?"

"I'm going inside, it's getting late. You coming?"

He grunted as he put his feet on the ground, feeling stiff. His eyes were glued to her hips as he followed her, flashbacks from the book she'd caught him reading running through his mind, and he forced himself to stare at the back of her head.

"- you don't have to go if you don't want to."

He hadn't even heard her talking, "What?"

She stopped and turned around, causing him to just miss bumping into her, "I said the Warhorse Trials are next month, and Tholi wants me to compete. Weren't you listening?"

"I was. You were just mumbling," he said, pushing past her and tensing as their arms touched.

She stared after him,_ I **know **I wasn't mumbling._

He got a bottle of water from the refrigerator and drained half of it, hoping it would cool him down quickly. He jumped as hands slid over his shoulders and spun around, staring at Nozomi.

"Are you all right, you seem tense," said, seeing something in his eyes that made her breath catch.

"I'm fine," he growled.

"You're also a bad liar," she smiled, taking his hand and leading him back to his bedroom, "Take off your shirt and get on your stomach."

He stared at her, "Excuse me?"

"Your ears don't just frame your face Piccolo, use them," she quipped, "Now do it."

Out of curiousity, he did, laying on the bed diagonally so he could stretch out completely, "What exactly is the point in this?"

The bed dipped down and he jumped as she straddled his hips, beginning to panic, "What are you-"

"Relax, I'm just going to rub your back. I'm not trying to molest you," she chuckled, watching him give her a suspicious glare from the corner of an eye.

He let out a frustrated sigh and settled back down, enjoying the feel of her on top of him, "Just get it over with."

Rolling her eyes, she lifted up enough so she could undo his sash and roll his pants down to the bottom of his hips. She settled back down on his backside and stared at his back, clearing her throat and starting at his lower back, applying pressure on the heels of her hands along the sides of his spine.

His tension began to slowly dissipate, only to be replaced by a new tension in his groin at the rhythmic rocking of her hips against his butt. She hit a sore spot and he groaned before he could stop it, giving in to the pleasure as she worked on the middle of his back. She smiled, pulling his arms down to his sides so she could get to his shoulders, feeling him shiver as she gently ran her fingers over his biceps.

x

By the time she had finished, he was putty in her hands, and he moaned as she pulled her nails gently down his spine, drawing little circles back up.

"Feel better?" she asked, thinking she was definitely taking a cold shower after this.

Her only answer was a small groan, and she chuckled, leaning down and kissing between his shoulder blades, "Goodnight Piccolo."

"Hmm," he hummed, barely finding the strength to open an eye, looking at the clock in sedate surprise. She'd been rubbing his back for two and a half hours.

She listened to his little grunt as she got off his hips, a shock running through her, and she went straight into the bathroom, stepping under the icy spray with her clothes on, heaving a heavy sigh. _I can't do this. Why can't this have happened with someone else? Someone who'll feel the same way about me?_


	27. Sudden Rage

Piccolo opened his eyes slowly, for a moment not recognizing where he was. He remembered and rolled over, staring at the ceiling, feeling better than he had in a long time. Stretching as he got out of bed, he felt oddly sticky, and he walked upstairs to the take a shower, glancing in Nozomi's room as he reached the doorway.

She was still asleep, and he walked in, pushing a stray lock of hair off her face. She sighed softly and he smiled, the smile fading as he looked at her body tangled in the sheets, images of what he'd like to do to her making him dizzy. With a heavy sigh he walked out, wondering if it had been a wise decision to stay with her now that he was having these feelings for her. He looked back at her from the door, remembering how her lips had felt against his skin before she'd left him last night, and knew he couldn't just leave without knowing. Surely after two more years he'd know something definite.

x

Nozomi slowly opened her eyes, stretching her back before she pulled the duvet around her. She didn't want to get up until she had to, and she heard footsteps coming from the bathroom. Opening her eyes a fraction, she watched Piccolo start to walk by in a towel, and wondered as he paused and looked at her, holding her breath as he passed. She got up and silently went to her door, peeking out and watching him turn and go down the stairs, her heart pounding in her ears as she remembered all the times he'd put his arms around her. She leaned against her wall and tried to think of something, anything, to get the image of his body out of her mind. Finally able to breathe, she changed into a gi and went downstairs for breakfast.

She was finishing her second bowl of cereal when he walked into the kitchen and got a glass of water, and she found herself wishing he wouldn't wear the turban or cape, since she couldn't look at him with them on. Feeling a blush creeping into her cheeks, she stared into her bowl.

"Are you ready?"

Her head snapped towards him and her eyes were as big as plates, "What? R-Ready for what?"

"To learn how to fly," he said, leaning back against the counter. She looked so cute when she was surprised.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah!" she said excitedly, finishing her cereal and putting her bowl in the sink, "Let's go!"

x

"You've got to concentrate harder," he said, watching her brows furrow, "And relax."

She managed to make a ki sphere the size of a grapefruit, and she smiled, "I did it!"

It suddenly blew up and she coughed, her face and hands black. He snorted and then began laughing, watching her frown at him, "Try again."

She shifted and held her palms towards each other again, closing her eyes and feeling something akin to static electricity flowing down her arms. When she opened her eyes, it was there, another ki sphere, a swirling mass of silver and purple, "Now what?"

"It's yours, you figure it out," he said, pleased that she caught on to the technique so easily.

She moved her hands and stretched it, and then smirked, shooting it at him. He deflected it easily, giving her a smirk back.

"You really don't want me to retaliate," he said lowly, watching her get up and wipe the black off half her face.

"Give me a while, and we'll see," she said smoothly, "Now, I guess I just put it under me to fly, right?"

He nodded, thinking soon he wasn't going to be able to get away from her no matter what he did.

She felt herself rising and looked down, seeing she was twenty feet in the air and gasping. With a startled yell she fell, landing on her backside and feeling the air rush out of her with a huge groan. She sat there, gasping like a fish glaring at Piccolo as he chuckled.

"You couldn't have caught me?" she rasped, her hind end sore.

"You've got to learn how to keep yourself up," he said, "It takes time. Don't expect to maser it in a day."

She sighed, getting up and rubbing her rear, "I know that. I wasn't expecting miracles you know."

He raised a brow, one corner of his lips sliding up, and he walked over and rubbed the last smudge of soot off her cheek with a thumb, "Just don't blow yourself up."

She blushed and looked away, "I wasn't planning on it."

"When you've mastered the techniques, we'll start sparring again," he said, watching her look at him, "You'll be using a lot of energy to learn to control your ki, and I don't want you to get hurt."

She watched him walk over to the oak tree and start meditating, wondering what had suddenly gotten into him.

xxxx

Nozomi was enjoying her newfound skills, after a tiring week of practicing, and was using them every chance she got when she and Piccolo sparred. She was having to learn a new way to fight, and there were nights when she ended up passed out on the couch after a day of training and an evening of working with Siren.

Piccolo had taught her a basic masenko, and she had already developed two new moves of her own. Yanoken was an arrow shaped bolt, powerful and deadly accurate; while her tokunoyakai was a simple ki shield, which came in handy when Piccolo started bombarding her with masenkos. She'd been working on a few others in what little spare time she had, integrating them with the basic Elemental Hands that she'd picked up at the Temple.

Piccolo looked up as she began concentrating on a bamboo target, her aura crackling ominously with electricity as she powered up. He found it odd, her aura. It was neutral; **completely **neutral. There was something oddly familiar about it, but he couldn't place it. His eyes widened as she extended a hand, a bolt of lightning shooting from two of her fingers and missing the target by a good foot and striking the metal frame she'd suspended it from. She sighed and began powering up again, her face the picture of concentration as she focused on her target.

It was moments like this that he wondered about her the most. After all there was a lot that was **still **a mystery, both about her, and her importance to the Solarian Temple. If he thought about it long enough, there were times when she made him nervous, and he'd also noticed that Tholi watched her carefully at certain times. Each time she'd done this he'd wanted to grab her or Nozomi and ask what in the Nine Hells was going on. He finally noticed Nozomi was staring at him, "What?"

"Any reason you're looking at me like you want to tear me apart?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"Thinking about why I can't figure you out," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Your paranoia's showing," she smiled, watching his scowl deepen, "Goddess Bless Piccolo, you've got to be fucking kidding me?"

He raised a brow. She'd been becoming more and more irritable lately, and he didn't think it was because of the training. It was like living next to an active volcano; you didn't know exactly when it would blow, or how bad it would be when it did, but it definitely wasn't going to be pretty.

"What is it about me that vexes you?" she asked sarcastically, her own eyes narrowing and making her look decidedly demonic.

"Why is Tholi so interested in you? Why does it seem li-"

"Did you ever think that maybe she swore she'd protect me?" she interjected, "That because she loves me as a daughter it makes her hard to step back and be objective when it comes to deciding what's best for me? I'm not Temple-blood, she's not allowed to actually **care **about what happens to me. She's only supposed to make sure I stay alive and relatively unmolested."

He blinked, "Is that the real reason?"

She huffed, "What do you want me to say Piccolo? That she's concerned because I could, I don't know, destroy the world? Come on. How would I manage that? Wiggling my nose!"

"There's something you aren't' telling me," he said.

"If there was, which there isn't, it's my business. Not yours," she scowled, getting angry.

"So her interest in you as an adult-"

"FUCK YOU PICCOLO!" she screamed, turning and blowing up the target and frame with an enormous lightning bolt, taking him aback, "Is it so hard to believe that someone cares about me!"

She ran into the house, tears streaming down her face, and he looked at the smoking pile of rubble she'd left and then back to the house, hearing her sobbing through the open door. He sighed, staring at the ground, _I think Vegeta's less moody than she's been here lately_. And he **didn't **find it hard to believe someone cared about her. He . . . Well, he was **fond **of her.

'_Don't bullshit yourself.'_

_Please tell me this isn't going to become a habit with you._

'_If you keep denying yourself and being an-'_

_I'm not denying anything!_

Nail heaved a frustrated sigh, _'Fine, be an ass. That obviously has her groveling at your fee-'_

_Leave me alone, or so help me, I will find a way to shut you up for good._

Silence followed and he sighed, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

'_Asshole.'_

He scowled, standing and walking into the house, finding Nozomi asleep on the couch after he'd gotten a glass of water, tears still flowing down her face. He brushed one away, a stab of hurt shooting through him as she flinched, and he brushed his fingers over her face. She groaned softly as her brow furrowed, the soft noise sending a shock through him, and he held his breath as his gaze slid over her curves. He forced himself to look away and his feet to move, going over and settling down in his spot, watching her as she slept. She shifted, another groan pulled from her throat, and a slew of risque images began racing through his mind.

He growled and got up and went back into his room, sitting down on the bed, and leaned back on the headboard. He supposed he shouldn't have brought up what he was thinking, though her volatile reaction had just added fuel to the fire, so to speak. There was something going on with her, some almost imperceptible shift. He heard her whimper and got up, going back to her side. She jerked, beginning to toss, and she looked like she was in pain. He tentatively reached out and stroked her face again, and she seemed to calm down.

Going back to his room, he took off his turban and cape and lay down on the bed, crossing his arms under his head. He sighed as he stared at the ceiling, feeling suddenly tired as he heard rain begin pelting the window, and he closed his eyes.

x

Nozomi started awake, covered in a cold sweat and shaking. She looked over at where Piccolo usually sat and held herself, panicky for a moment before she felt his ki signature close by. She got up and went back to his room, seeing him asleep on the bed. Acting before she had a chance to think about it, she walked over and crawled in beside him, cuddling against his side. He grunted and wrapped an arm around her, still asleep, and she smiled softly. She snuggled closer, sliding her hand up to his shoulder, and closed her eyes, falling asleep listening to his heartbeat.

x

Piccolo opened his eyes and stretched, hearing a soft moan and freezing. He looked down and stared at Nozomi, who was sleeping wrapped around him. He blinked hard, not believing what he was seeing. She groaned and shifted against him, and he felt his blood start pumping faster. Before he could give his body time to react, he got up, turning towards the window and panting. She moaned again and he quickly left, going outside and standing in the rain, feeling it cooling him off, and groaned. _This can't be happening. I thought I'd been through that already, it's been years._

'_Oh, calm down.'_

_Come to gloat?_

'_There's a simple solution to your problem.'_

_And what's that?_

'_It's sleeping in your bed.'_

_GO - TO - HELL!_

'_You're flesh and blood Piccolo.'_

_I'm not you._

'_If you were, you wouldn't have your little **problem**.'_

"SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" he screamed, beginning to pant. Rain ran down the tip of his nose, and down his antennae, and he growled. He'd never been this frustrated, ever. Not since . . . he didn't want to think about that. It had been a nightmare. There was a noise behind him and he turned, watching Nozomi look at him from the porch.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," he said, looking away.

She took a few steps towards him and his head snapped to the side, "Leave me alone."

She stopped immediately, beginning to get wet, and looked at the ground, hugging her arms.

He glanced back at her, suddenly furious, "Will you go back inside?"

She looked at him, setting her jaw, "Not until you do."

"Don't test me right now Nozomi," he growled, glaring at her over his shoulder.

"I'm not trying to. I can't help it if you're being a moron," she snapped back.

He turned and lunged at her, saw her shocked face, and followed her as she shot into the air.

"Will you just tell me what's wrong?" she yelled, beginning to block the hits he was throwing at her.

His only reply was a growl as her knee connected with his ribs, and he grabbed her and threw her to the ground, shocked at his own behavior, but helpless to stop it. She skidded in the mud, and barely blocked a masenko, getting to her feet and firing one back. He easily deflected it, and fired a more powerful one at her. She put up a tokunoyakai that blocked it, but she was pushed backwards into the pond she'd had put in while they were gone to the tournament, and came up sputtering. She looked up at him as he was powering up for another attack, and without thinking she threw her hand with her next breath, the water she'd splashed up flying at him and hardening into ice. She heard his shocked yell as a few of them hit, and quickly got out of the pond, beginning to get cold.

She powered up, the water evaporating from her body, and jumped back into the air, beginning to hit him while he was still in shock from her ice attack. He began having to block her blows, retaliating whenever he got the chance, the rain washing the blood off both of them. They finally ended up hitting each other in the face simultaneously, Nozomi taking the harder blow and falling to the ground. She was picking herself up when she had to roll out of the way to avoid Piccolo's knee, and they ended up in a grappling match.

Covered in mud, bleeding profusely, and injured, they jumped away from each other, both of them glaring.

"You mind telling me what in Hell that was about?" Nozomi screamed, looking worse than she ever had from fighting him.

Instead of answering, he jumped at her again, and she grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back, straddling his chest and somehow pinning him, "Are you gonna calm down, or are we gonna have to kill each other?"

"Get off me," he growled, looking away from her.

"No!" she yelled, beginning to cry.

He sat up and she slid down into his lap, leaning her forehead against his chest and sobbing, "Nozomi . . . I'm sorry."

He whispered the last part, just sitting there as she cried, ashamed at himself.

x

Piccolo watched her walk into the livingroom, throwing her hair up in a towel and looked back at his feet, his arm throbbing. She looked at him and went over, taking his arm and looking at it.

"It's fine,' he growled, jerking it away from her, not wanting to look at her bruised face.

"Just give it here and stop pouting like a little kid," she said, grabbing it again.

He felt her healing the puncture wounds, and finally looked at her, "How did you do that?"

"You know how I heal," she said, moving her hand over another one.

"With the water," he said, seeing her face wasn't as bruised as he thought.

"It's called Elemental Hands. I'm not very good at it, rudimentary at best really. It's the form of ki manipulation they use at the Temple. It requires less energy, since your using the earth, water, fire, or air's energy," she said, healing the last one, "It's just something I picked up. Yume, Kosui, and I used to use it to throw water at each other. Mud, snow, the occasional rock. Anything to just pick at each other."

"Can everyone at the Temple do it?" he asked, closing his eyes as she healed the cut on his face.

"Most everyone," she replied, setting down cross-legged and slouching, "You feel better now?"

"Mmm," he hummed, watching her take the towel off her head and begin running her fingers through her hair.

"Mind telling me why you tried to kill me?" she asked, watching him frown.

"Yes," he said, secretly amazed she had been able to fend him off.

"Okay, then let's make a deal. I won't bring it up if you won't bring it up, deal?"

He raised a brow and watched her wink at him before she got up and went to the kitchen. He smiled softly, glad that nothing had seemed to change.

xxxx

Nozomi rolled and got back up, looking annoyed as she turned and looked at Siren, "I thought we were beyond that point?"

The young mare pranced around her, giving a short buck as Nozomi swung up again. Piccolo watched them gallop past and shook his head, licking the sore spot on his lip from the training session that morning. He was having to take off his cape when they sparred now, or else Nozomi had a speed advantage. After she'd split his lip he had suggested she try weighted clothing, and when she'd agreed, had weighted her down with a fifty pound under-tunic. The situation had made him realize he was getting soft, and he needed to up his own training to get back to where he'd been. He didn't think it would take long, maybe a day or two if he trained continuously and increased his own weights.

He closed his eyes and began meditating, raising his power level to maximum and holding it there. Focusing on the soft humming it created, he soon slid into a state of inner tranquility, unaware of his surroundings.

After Nozomi had finished with Siren she looked towards the tree, the saddle over an arm, and raised a brow. _He looks like a big Bug Zapper_, she thought after watching a moth fly into his aura and fall to the ground. She chuckled and looked at the sunset, going to get the saddle soap and take care of her tack. Settling down on the porch, she began cleaning the leather, humming under her breath. It was at times like this that made her realize just how much her life had changed. She looked up at Piccolo again and smiled, feeling herself blush as she turned back to what her hands were doing.

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Uh, it just kinda turned out this way. No clue why shrugs . The whole rage scene popped up out of left field, and I went with it. Hope you enjoyed it anyway!


	28. Before the Trials

Piccolo opened his eyes and saw Nozomi doing kata, his arms and legs tingling and his back stiff. _I need to control myself better, _he thought, closing his eyes again_, Being frustrated was no reason, or excuse, for attacking her like that. I still don't understand it. I don't have any negative feelings towards her. Do I?_

He thought on it a while, opening his eyes and knowing he didn't. He sighed, _If she just didn't push me the way she does_. He watched her front kick and tried to trace the source of his frustration. He couldn't be, could he? Surely that only happened once in a lifetime? He **wasn't **asking Nail, that bastard would get entirely too much enjoyment out of it. That would be a **lovely **conversation. Dende was of no use, he was too young and hadn't gone through it yet.

"You realize you've been two days without water or food?"

He blinked, "I do."

She stopped and raised an eyebrow, looking at him over her shoulder, "Are you thirsty?"

"I'm more stiff than anything," he said truthfully, standing.

"Then go soak in the hot spring a while. I'll bring you a towel and something to drink," she said, wiping a forehead with a wrist.

He raised a brow, watching her walk back into the house. It sounded like a good idea to him, so he headed to the backyard, discarding his clothes, easing into the water and feeling his muscles relax for the first time in two days. A noise to his left made him turn, and he saw a towel, robe, a pitcher of ice water, and a glass sitting in the spot his clothes had just occupied. A smile crept onto his face as he poured a glass of water and sipped it, heaving a contented sigh.

A sudden small splash startled him, making him realize he'd been dozing, and he opened an eye and watched Nozomi slide further down into the water and lean her head back against the lip of the spring.

"I'm leaving for the Temple tomorrow."

"I know," he replied, "What time are we leaving?"

She looked at him, "Around seven, but you-"

"I've told you before, you **can't** slack off on your training," he interrupted, leaning his own head back..

"That the real reason?" she asked slyly, lifting her foot out of the water to look at her toes.

He opened his eyes, "What do you think?"

"I think you enjoy my company," she smiled, winking at him.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be here. Even though sometimes you are less than tolerable," he said, raising a brow.

She chuckled, "I suppose."

He shook his head, "I wish you wouldn't do that."

"What?" she asked, confused, "Chuckle?"

"N. . . No," he sighed, "It's like you **try **to piss me off."

"I'm not. I'm just joking around with you," she said, "You've heard me with Kosui and Yume, I tease them too. Hasn't anyone-"

"Obviously not," he snapped, then flushed, "Well, Goku might have, but he's an idiot. I think half of what comes from his mouth just bleeds out."

She laughed, "Well, that's probably true. But women are different. We're a bit more . . . underhanded with our teasing. Men go for the ego, women go for the throat."

"So women are evil," he said restraining his smirk, "is what you're saying."

"So, you are capable of humor," she said sarcastically, "I'm just saying we're different."

"Evil, loud, and incessantly annoying," he said, watching her twitch, "Right?"

"Well, men are pigs," she said, "Oolong pretty much sums up what men truly are."

"I'm nothing like that little swine," he frowned, realizing she had the upper hand again.

She smirked, "No, you're not. Though, I bet if you were human you would be."

"Well, I guess you're lucky," he scowled, "Otherwise your picture would be everywhere in the magazines Roshi reads."

"He doesn't actually re- Wait, what!"

He mentally kicked himself, "They took pictures of you while you were changing before the final."

"What?" she asked, her face red, "How do you-"

"Because I caught them and blew up the camera."

"So. You were blowing up something!" she yelled, then sank down into the water to her chin, "Were you peeping too?"

His face turned purple as he stared at her, slack jawed, "Of course not! You wouldn't do that to me, why would I do that to you!"

She looked away, biting her lip, remembering the other morning when she basically had.

He saw her turn pinker and her obvious avoidance to his gaze, "Nozomi. . ."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the lip, trying to ignore him.

"No-chibi," he growled, grabbing a foot and pulling her under the water, watching her come up sputtering and livid.

"You-! I haven't been! . . . P-sama," she hissed, pushing her drenched hair off her face, then looking away with ever reddening cheeks, muttering, "Doesn't mean I wouldn't."

He stared at her.

"And don't call me No-chibi!" she screamed, "And if I had -Which, I haven't!- it would be **entirely **because of **curiousity**! I've never seen you nude, and -Stop interrogating me! If I had it would have been purely accidental!"

It was his turn to smirk, "Oh, really?"

She pouted, trying to get her foot out of her mouth and change the subject, "And who were you yelling at!"

He raised a brow, "I was yelling at Nail."

_Oh shit, he's crazy_, "Wh-who's Nail?"

He proceeded to explain. By the time he finished, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"So you . . . Wow," she blinked, "He must be really annoying."

"You have no idea," he chuckled.

"So what do you all talk about that pisses you off so much?" she asked.

He looked away, "Nothing."

"So what colors should I wear to the trials?" she asked, changing the subject again.

"Your choice. What colors do you like?" he asked, wondering where in Hell that had come from.

She blushed, "Actually, my favorite color's green. But, blue would be best on Siren."

He remained silent, puzzled as to why she was blushing.

"Aqua is pretty too," she sighed, "I don't know, I'll ask Tholi."

He leaned back again, putting his arms up on the edge, "How are the weights working out?"

"Why do you think I'm in here?" she smiled, eyeing his chest after he'd closed his eyes, "You're power level is higher. How did you manage that?"

"Raising my power level and holding it there during deep meditation," he replied.

"Aren't you exhausted?"

"Hence my being in here," he said, _And my obvious lack of discomfort at being naked this close to her._

"Hmm," she hummed, "Are you going to stay in the Temple, or with me?"

"What's the difference?" he asked, wondering if she meant was he going to sleep with her. The thought made his cheeks flush, and he was glad she was looking up at the sky.

"I'll be in my tent with Siren in the addition you used at the Tournament," she replied, "It's a large tent, there should be plenty of room in it. You're a lighter sleeper than me too, in the event something happens to Siren."

"Like what?" he asked, looking up to see what was so interesting.

"Some people like to fix their odds," she said, making him look back at her.

xxxx

"Piccolo! Hello," Tholi said, turning away from the two women who were driving poles in the ground, "I'm glad you decided to join us. We're just finishing up on the lane for the yabusame."

"What's that?"

"Traditional mounted archery," she replied, "It's the first, and largest event of the Trials, other than the jousting. Along with the other events, the feasts, and the demonstrations, it's going to be a long two weeks."

"Two- Nozomi failed to mention that part," he said, raising a brow.

"It's far more popular than it was five years ago," she smiled, "We're expecting at least a thousand or more to show up."

He looked at her and cleared his throat, "I've been meaning to ask you about something."

Tholi looked at him and raised a brow, "Yes?"

"Is there some ulterior motive to the Temple's interest in Nozomi?" he asked, surprised Tholi's face remained blank.

"There's a reason for everything, Piccolo."

He crossed his arms, "I see."

"I wish I could say it's none of your concern, but I suppose it is," she said, holding her elbows, "I'm surprised you haven't recognized what . . . what you've gotten yourself into. Especially with you being half Kami."

"I can take care of myself."

"I know," she chuckled, "You and Nozomi are a lot alike, in more ways than you realize."

"Who are her parents? Or is that something you can't divulge either?"

"A bit of that, and a bit of the unknown," she said, and sighed, looking around them at the Temple and the grounds before looking back at him, "You were chosen, just as I was, for some purpose that isn't entirely clear. Perhaps someday you'll know why."

"Is that what you truly think?" he asked, his eyes widening as she pulled up her sleeve and he saw a ragged scar all the way around her elbow.

"That's the only reason I can think of that I'm able to stand in front of the Demon that killed my brother and tore my arm off and not hate him," she said.

He suddenly saw her sixteen years younger, and frowned, "That was a long time ago."

"I know," she nodded, covering her arm again, "You've changed a lot. The being I remembered only knew hate and pain."

He saw her eyes shift to look behind him and turned, seeing Nozomi riding towards them, "Does she know?"

"No," she shook her head, "Not that she would see you any other way than how you are now."

He watched Tholi walk over to Nozomi as she swung down and raised a brow.

x

"You look serious all of a sudden."

"How am I supposed to look?" he asked, watching her tie one of the tent flaps open.

"A bit less tense," she replied, "By the look of it Tholi mentioned how long the Trials last."

"Funny how you forgot to tell me that," he said with a slight frown.

"Odd isn't it?" she said with a sly smile, "I'm still going to train P-sama, so don't get so bent out of shape."

"I'm not- Don't call me that!" he yelled, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I just don't think you take it very seriously."

It was her turn to frown, "I do take my training seriously. Have I ever, in the years you've known me, taken an actual day off?"

"I'm sure I could think of one or two," he scowled.

"Well, I **can't**!" she snapped, "I work my ass off, same as you, and I don't appreciate-"

He sighed, "Just shut up."

Her jaw dropped, "Excuse me! I believe **you **started this!"

"And I'll finish it too," he growled.

"What crawled up your ass here lately? You know Piccolo, your tension will kill you one day."

"My tension is mainly related to **you**!" he yelled, thinking it was a rather harsh, if not entirely true, statement.

"Then ignore me, you're good at that," she said snidely.

"You make it impossible to," he said, suddenly realizing just how much he actually _enjoyed_ arguing with her, even when she made him want to strangle her.

"I'll just ignore you then," she said, crossing her arms and turning her nose up in the air.

"You're so childish," he smirked, knowing that worked every time he said it.

"No more than- Damn you!" she yelled.

"I'll see you in the courtyard," he said, leaving her grumbling.

xxxx

Piccolo walked back towards the tent, marveling at how much the Temple grounds had changed in only two days. Rows and rows of pavilion tents like Nozomi's made a small village where the competitor's were staying, bleachers and boxes surrounded large arenas there were merchant tents intermingled with the competitor tents, the vendors occasionally shouting to passers by. He paused at Nozomi's tent, looking for a moment at her banner. The kanji on it read '_Sky Eyed Warrior_,' instead of her mon, above the stylized lotus and his own mon.

"How do I look?"

He looked down at her and his eyes widened at the monstrous appearance of her somen, and then cocked his head and looked her over, "You look like a man."

He saw her eyes blink, impossibly beautiful behind the grimacing demon face, her voice muffled, "Well, I suppose that's not entirely a bad thing."

He watched her lead Siren out and swing gracefully up, Siren tossing her head and shaking the tassels of the aquamarine mosquero and the tassels of her breastplate. Nozomi was completely obscured by her armor, and he chuckled as several young women paused to watch her go by, commenting on 'that handsome warrior with the stunning eyes'.

"She left already? Good, come on, we'll miss the show," Yume said, startling him as she grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the yabusame area.

x

She looked around at the different horses and armor, recognizing the styles of several different tribes, and seeing some she didn't recognize. Her gaze was brought back to the lane by another loud cheer from the crowd, and she took a deep breath, knowing she was next.

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A/N: Somen is a mask that covered a samurai's face during battle. It's not as common as the traditional mempo, which is the half mask that most people are familiar with.

Sorry the last chapter was confusing to some of you. The anger scene was an episode of misplaced aggression caused by sexual frustration. In other words, he was taking out his sexual frustration by attempting to beat the crap out of Nozomi. He also thinks he's going into heat, which is what he's worried about.


	29. Superstition

Piccolo reluctantly followed Yume to the far end of the lane, tensing at the crowd that was around him, feeling a bit more comfortable in the haori and hakama than he did in his normal attire. He glanced up the lane and watched Siren toss her head, the only signal he saw Nozomi give the horse to move was dropping the reins.

x

Urging the young mare forward with a squeeze of her calves, she had to grip hard as the horse reared and then took off with a jump. Smoothly pulling a padded arrow out of the quiver, she Quickly nocking it she took aim at the first target, the bow spinning and the bowstring hitting the back of her bow hand as she released the arrow, a flick of the wrist readying the bow for the next one. She heard the satisfying sound of wood splintering as she reached towards the quiver. Two more times she released an arrow, leaning back slightly in the saddle near to end of the lane to slow Siren down, having to plant her feet in the stirrups as they came to a sliding stop. _Most days I can't get you to listen, and today you've got a hair trigger._

Taking the reins again, she turned her back, raising her bow to the judges' dias, watching them bow. Heaving a sigh, she leaned against the pommel of the saddle once they were back in the waiting area, her anxiety returning. She straightened up and saw another rider coming over, his armor telling her he was from a tribe of desert nomads, and he was of high rank.

"_Interesting horse you have there."_

She almost glared at him for assuming she spoke his language, and knowing what he wanted, "She is."

"You're a woman," she could hear the frown in his voice, "I demand you let me look at your horse."

"No," she said, turning Siren away and heading for her tent.

He cut her off, and she did glare.

"Do you know who I am?"

_Like I give a damn_, "I'm afraid not. Now, if you'll excuse-"

"I am Prince Alhad, and I demand to look at your horse!"

They were drawing a crowd.

She took off her somen, "You're not my prince, and I've already declined your request, now please excuse me."

He stared at her, and then drew his sword, a big falchion, "Get off your horse now!"

"What's going on here!"

Siren started as Tholi rushed over, "Put your sword away before I disqualify you! All weapons are supposed to be peace-tied between competitions!"

"This woman is being impudent! I won't have it!" Prince Alhad said loudly.

"What is she being disrespectful about?" Tholi asked, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.

"I want to see her horse," he said, looking indignant, "And she refused. Her husband should beat her."

Nozomi fumed, and Tholi cleared her throat, "The horse is a cremello with blue eyes."

"I knew it! It must be-"

"We'll discuss this later. In **private**," Tholi said sternly, "Until then, I suggest you leave your sword in its sheath, or you'll be forcefully removed from the grounds."

She turned and left, Nozomi urging Siren towards the tent, keeping an eye on the arrogant man.

x

"How could you allow it!"

"It's an evil omen!"

"It will bring misfortune to us all!"

"We must kill it and burn it!"

"ENOUGH!"

Nozomi stared at Tholi, who had jumped up and looked furious.

"No one is doing anything! Especially not killing **anything **on this soil, least of all a horse. That horse has been here since it was a foal, and no misfortune has befallen this temple," she said, "It has been blessed by my own hand, and I challenge anyone to say otherwise."

She scanned the room, "Now then, I understand your beliefs and concerns. From now on the horse will drink from the creek instead of the community fountain, and will graze in a separate area. And I guarantee if anything unnatural should happen to that horse, the perpetrator will be punished. By that I mean the harshest punishment allowed. Now then, are there any other concerns?"

"That woman!" Prince Alhad said, getting up and pointing at Nozomi, "I demand she be punished for her insolence!"

"You want me to punish someone who's **not **a priestess?" Tholi asked, amused now, "I believe that's out of my hands."

A few of the tribal elders laughed.

"I'll talk to her husband then, he will probably understand."

"I'm not married," Nozomi frowned.

"Then your father, assuming you even **have **one," the man sneered.

Nozomi stood up, her fists clenched and ready to kill him.

"Nozomi!" Tholi barked, and then said softly in the Temple's tongue, _"He's an ignorant tribal prince. Don't let him get to you."_

She sat back down, clenching her jaw.

"Well? Is there any man to speak for her?" Alhad asked, "Otherwise by tribal law I am allowed to punish her."

Tholi's eyes widened at the sadistic smile on the man's face, surprised he even took the time to learn of the traditional laws. She knew he couldn't really hurt Nozomi, but knowing he'd have to for Nozomi to save face and not be condemned as a demon herself. She looked desperately at Piccolo, who was scowling at the man.

"I will," he said, making Nozomi look at him and blush, "I'll speak for her."

Alhad frowned, "If you're not her husband, who are you?"

"He's her senpai," Tholi said quickly.

Nozomi stared at her hands, her face reddening even more.

"Really," Alhad said, turning haughtily to Piccolo, "Then I demand an audience with you."

"You can demand until you're blue in the face, but I'm not listening to your childish rants," he said, "If you ever come near her again, I'll-"

"Thank you, that'll be all," Tholi said quickly, shocked at Piccolo's outburst, "Any other concerns can be addressed to me in private in my study."

The men filed out and Tholi sighed, looking at Nozomi, who turned away from her, "Nozomi? Nozomi!"

The young woman ignored her and Tholi sighed, looking at Piccolo, "I'm sorry you had to be put on the spot like that, thank you."

"I didn't do it for you, I did it for Nozomi," he said, "What exactly was that all about?"

"Horses with Siren's coloring are considered to be an evil omen, or part demon. You've heard the saying, 'Death rides a pale horse'? Well, that's where it stems from," she said, "Some cultures even regard people with that type of coloring the same way."

"Like Nozomi," he said, reading her carefully.

She looked blankly at him, though anger flared in her eyes, "No, not like Nozomi."

"Is that true?"

"She's not," Tholi said lowly, "Knowing who one half of her parentage makes me more than that sure that she **isn't**.

"That's not a very wide margin," he said.

She squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes, "Is there anything else?"

"I suppose not," he said, walking out.

As he neared Nozomi's tent, he saw Prince Alhad standing nearby, and stopped, purposefully staring the man down. Ahlad looked away first, and Piccolo smirked as he walked in the tent, his face softening at what he saw. Nozomi had her face pressed into Siren's shoulder, arms thrown around her neck, obviously crying. He cleared his throat and watched her jump, raising a brow as she turned towards him.

"Piccolo!" she sobbed, throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

He looked down at her, and, unable to help himself, slipped an arm around her waist. The other one found its way to a similar position, and he held her, her face buried in his shoulder as she clung to his gi.

"Whatever it is, is it really worth crying over?" he asked, uncomfortable with her tears. Angry Nozomi he could handle, but this was an entirely different side that he was glad wasn't common.

"You just don't understand! They wanted to kill her!" she said, pushing back and glaring at him, "Don't you have something you love that you'd fight for?"

He looked down at her, hurt on a level he hadn't felt before, staring after her as shoved away from him and ran out. He sighed, and looked at the ground, "I do."

x

She ran until her breathing was ragged from the exertion of it and sobbing, collapsing onto her knees on the ground and grabbing handfuls of dirt, still crying. She pounded her fists against the earth and screamed in anger and frustration. Her power level skyrocketed as he ki flared around her, turning from silver white to black, electricity crackling through it. Something inside her was swelling, and she could feel it, ominous and dark. Before it peaked, her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell forward, the last thing she felt was an arm stop her descent.

x

"_Nozomi."_

_She opened her eyes briefly and then closed them tight; she was sleeping just fine and wanted to stay that way._

"_Nozomi."_

_The voice was getting sterner, and she felt a foot tap against her leg._

_She sighed, pushing onto her elbows and looking up, "What?"_

"_Come on, it's time to train," Tholi said, stepping back._

_She sighed and got up reluctantly, hearing Yume grunt in indignation at the loss of heat, and began pulling on her doge. Tholi put her hair into two side buns and followed her into the Main Hall. Nozomi shivered as she eased onto the cold marble and began stretching, wondering why she was the only one who had to get up so early. . . ._

"_Tuck your elbow and finish the arc!" Tholi barked, watching Nozomi look off again, "And pay attention!"_

_Nozomi sighed, hearing Yume and Kosui laugh as they chased a puppy around the grounds. . ._

"_Get up and do it again."_

"_But, I can't!" she whined, tears seeping out of her eyes, "I'm tired Tholi, can't I stop?"_

"_Do it again," Tholi said, her face somewhat sad as she watched her pick herself up and climb back onto the balance pole. . ._

"_We don't want you to play, you're funny looking," the little girl said, leading her friends away from the sandbox. . ._

"_Nozomi."_

_She turned around, and then shielded her eyes, squinting as she tried to focus on the form in the center of the bright light feeling warm. It reminded her of . . ._

"No-chan."

She opened her eyes, Piccolo and Tholi's faces coming into slow focus, and she groaned, "What happened?"

"You powered up and pushed your ki too far," Piccolo said, looking vaguely impressed.

"What were you thinking?" Tholi scolded, "You could have-"

"Stop shouting," Nozomi growled, suddenly sullen, "I wasn't thinking Tholi, and therein lies the problem, and I won't do it again. I've saved you a lecture."

Tholi looked at her, and then nodded woefully, "Alright then. I- I'm glad you're alright."

"She was there Tholi," she said softly, glancing at her retreating form, "I almost saw her."

She paused, and turned her head, "You remember her?"

"No, not really," Nozomi said, "Thank you Tholi."

"I'll see you in the morning," Tholi replied, leaving the tent.

Piccolo looked at her "Who-"

"My mother," she said, "My only memory of her and I can't bring it up."

"What do you remember?" he asked, his curiousity dying to be assuaged

Nozomi sighed, "The only thing I remember about my mother was she was warm, like springtime sun. "

She looked at him, "What about your-"

"I only had one, and he died before I was born," he said, looking away.

"But who raised you?" she asked, starting to understand a little more why he was him.

"No one Nozomi," she replied softly, closing his eyes, "Go to sleep."

"Aren't you going to lay down?" she asked, nodding towards the other cot.

"I'm fine," he said, the candles suddenly going out, "Now be quiet."

"Goodnight Piccolo," she sighed, laying down and staring at the top of the tent, "Piccolo . . ."

"One more word, and I'll shove your pillow down your throat," he growled in mock anger.

He heard her mumble something and shook his head, forcing himself not to think about her questions.

xxxx

Keeping his eyes closed, he stretched his back, hearing something at his side grunt before he felt the form next to him. His eyes flying open, he stared at his left leg, where, sleeping soundly draped along it, was Nozomi. The rest of her body was curled around his back and covered by his cape, her hands on his right foot and left calf. She shifted, and he tensed, feeling hard bone and dense muscle, but mostly feeling the two soft mounds of flesh that were pressed in the middle of his leg. Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat and closed his eyes again, hoping she'd wake up and think he was still asleep. Instead, she moved again and kneed him in the back. Rolling his eyes, he quickly shoved her, feigning sleep again.

He heard her indignant 'oomph!', and heard her get up, opening an eye and watching her stretch. She turned to look at him, and tapped his leg with her foot, "I know you're awake."

He raised a brow, "What do you want?"

"Morning to you too," she said, yawning like a cat, "I don't want anything but some company during breakfast. Think you can handle that?"

He got up, "Only if you don't piss anyone off today."

"That wasn't my fault," she scowled, hands on her hips as they walked towards the Temple, "And you know that. Besides, you pissed him off too by taking up for me."

She stopped and turned her head, "What made you-"

"If you don't know, then my telling you wouldn't illuminate it any better," he said, continuing to walk.

She smiled and jogged a few steps to catch up, and slipped her arm through his, sidling up against him, "I've got to remember to stop asking you anything."

"That would be a dream come true," he said sarcastically, feeling her hit his arm with her free hand.

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Whew, finally! I got a chance to finish this chapter and update! I've been busy with school and everything, so I don't know when I'll get another chapter up. Hopefully it won't be such a long lapse in time. 'Senpai' means senior (at work or school), superior, elder.


	30. Moonlight Attack

A/N: Sorry about the lack of explanation with Shomentsu (the demon), I promise you'll be seeing more of him fairly soon. If not this chapter, then the next definitely

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Piccolo watched Nozomi block another blow from her opponent as she struggled to keep Siren under control. Her showing, and more importantly the young mare's, performance in the mounted melee wasn't exactly up to par with the other horse and rider. Nozomi herself was faring well, her swordsmanship skill making up for Siren's skittishness. The young horse kept sidestepping and tossing her head, along with the occasional bucking, making it impossible to control her with leg cues. Nozomi had to resort to holding the reins with her right hand and using her left to duel, suddenly glad for all the times Tholi had tied her right arm behind her back and made her use her left.

She cursed as Siren tried to bolt, having to lean forward to parry a thrust, and felt a burst of pain as the horse's neck connected hard with her face. Siren took the sudden lapse in Nozomi's concentration as an opportunity to bolt, and Nozomi flew backwards, the horned pommel slamming into the tops of her thighs and holding her in the saddle, but caused her to snap backwards and hit her head on the horse's rump, and then fly forward and smash into her neck again. Sliding to the side, Nozomi hung limply, obviously unconscious, before she fell and tumbled to the ground with a loud smash. Siren continued to run, bucking wildly.

Yume and Kosui were the first to reach Nozomi, almost falling over themselves as she got up and threw off her helmet, looking furious.

"Are you-"

"Fine," she said, rubbing the blood from her nose on her forearm, "Get me Kowasu for my next round, and put Siren up for me. I guess I was wrong in thinking she was ready for this."

"Right," Yume said, looking at Kosui and seeing the other girl staring at Nozomi.

"How- But you- It looked like you broke your neck!" Kosui said, watching Nozomi raise an eyebrow.

"Well, looks can be deceiving," she replied, picking up her helmet, "I've got to get ready for the next round, so quit gawking Sui, I'll explain later."

xxxx

There was a sudden popping crunch and tears swelled in her eyes, "Ow!"

Piccolo raised a brow, watching her roll her shoulder, "I thought you were 'fine'."

"I am, I'm just sore," she replied, testing the motion in her left arm before holding her hand to it and healing it, "That's better. Remind me not to dislocate my shoulder ever again, it hurts like a mother."

"How is that analogy even relevant?" he asked, cocking his head slightly.

She just looked at him, "I was trying to say 'hurts like a mother fucker' without saying it."

"Why not just say it?"

"Because I'm a lady."

It was his turn to blink for a moment, and then a corner of his mouth twitched, "Really?"

She pouted, "I don't think I've told you to go to Hell today."

"Point taken," he said, still smiling, "Please tell me this thing's almost over."

"This thing's almost over," she said, "In a week. But you should be happy, I'm free until the last night. So we can train more."

"I'd be happier if it was over and we were home," he replied, "At least there when you kept your mouth closed it was quiet."

Her eye twitched as she reached for her muscle balm, "I'll pretend that was a compliment."

"And I'll pretend I meant it as one," he smirked, watching her start to pull off her shirt, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to but some of this Dragon Balm on," she said, raising a brow, "I'm wearing a bra. If it bothers you so much, then go outside."

He glared at her, another clap of thunder ripping through the silence, thinking it might be better to be soaked than watch her rub herself down in her underwear. He swallowed as she began rubbing her shoulder, feeling a flush begin creeping into his cheeks, and he closed his eyes, hearing her begin humming.

"So what have you been doing while I've been competing?" she asked, watching him lift a brow while keeping his eyes closed.

"Being dragged around by your friends, what else," he growled, "They don't understand the word 'no'."

She chuckled, "You're right. So where did they drag you?"

"Everywhere," he said, "It makes me appreciate the fact that you don't giggle and carry on. Kosui's mouth is even worse than yours is."

"I can imagine," she smiled, knowing Kosui thought nothing of profanity outside of rituals and services, "Did they take you shopping?"

His eyes flew open and he watched her smirk evilly, "How did-"

"They enjoyed having you carry their bags," she said, trying to imagine it, "Big tough P-sama carrying boxes for little girls, how sweet."

"If I've ever been truly tempted to do bodily harm to you, it would be now," he scowled.

"Oh please, I won't-"

They both fell silent as a loud bell started ringing, and he watched her jump up and throw on a gi. He raised a brow as she tied her swords to her waist and ran out without her shoes, following her. There were other people outside their tents too, most of them looking confused and frightened, and he saw Tholi and several of the other priestesses running towards the rear of the grounds. That didn't strike him as odd, what did was the way they were dressed. Each of them were wearing black, whether it was a gi or a body suit, he couldn't tell, and each had a half mask on their faces.

"What is it?" he asked when they all stopped, and he suddenly smelled it.

"Teya!" Tholi yelled, drawing a sword.

One of the girls muttered something and threw up her hands, and a ball of light flew into the air and seemed to explode, flooding a fifty foot radius around them. There was an unearthly roar and Piccolo felt his heart nearly stop at the sight in front of him.

Shirking away from the bright light was at least a dozen malformed creatures that looked vaguely like hyenas. Their bulging white eyes rolled in the sockets and they chattered at each other, as if trying to decide what to do. Saliva dripped from their mouths and turned to maggots when it hit the ground, and he heard one of the girls gag. One crouched and hissed at them, the bone-like spines protruding from its back vibrating.

"Crawlers," Tholi grumbled, "How long Teya?"

"Five," she said, sweat beginning to pour down her face.

"Fine," Tholi said, rushing in.

The others followed her, and the sound was horrifying. He watched Tholi cut one in half before another jumped at her, the earth coming up around it and crushing it at a hand movement from Tholi. He watched Nozomi cut one open as she dodged its forelimb raking at her, the thing's intestines hitting the ground with a hiss as it shrieked. One exploded into flames as a woman brought her hands together, and another crumpled as what looked like Kosui bludgeoned it with a melon hammer. Someone screamed and he watched one woman stagger back, holding her arm. Tholi rushed over to her and his attention was drawn to Nozomi. He watched her flip backwards and put two fingers to her forehead, electricity forming on her fingertips. She threw her arm towards one of the creatures and a bolt of lightning snaked towards it, knocking it back with a screech. As it fell dead to the ground, smoking, Nozomi rushed in on another, one of its clawed hands knocking her sword out of her hand, slicing open her forearm. He heard her curse before she incinerated it with a masenko, and then everything went dark.

The only light came from the full moon as the battle continued, the earth moving around several of the things and crushing them, others being enclosed in ice and smashed by melon hammers. Occasional fire lit the horrific scene as a few priestesses threw fireballs, and Piccolo blew one away with a masenko that decided to lunge at him. When it was over, a few women collapsed onto their knees, obviously spent. He saw Tholi healing Nozomi's arm and walked over, kicking a corpse out of the way as he did.

x

From behind the treeline a figure scowled, tapping a claw to his chin. It hadn't gone as he'd planned; the priestesses were too quick in responding to the alarm. He looked at the stone monolith to his left, and scowled at the intricate carving on it, "One more minute and I would have had what I wanted."

With a sigh he jumped back onto the ground, looking back at the figures around the burning crawlers, and gave a short, derisive laugh, "I can wait."

x

Tholi caught the small movement in her periphery, and narrowed her eyes, looking back at Nozomi, "I don't think we'll have any more trouble tonight, go on back. Kosui and I will check the barrier stones."

"I can-"

"Go back to bed," she said sternly, "We'll talk in the morning."

She nodded and watched the older woman walk away, looking at Piccolo, "An exciting end to an exciting day."

"What exactly were those?" he asked, looking with disgust at the pile of burning carcasses.

"Crawlers," she replied, "Low level demons. The grounds of the Temple are warded by ashlars with special carvings. They're supposed to act as a kind of fence, keeping demons out. Well, low level demons like crawlers anyway, theoretically, a higher level demon could get through, but then the bell in the tower rings. Have you never noticed there isn't a stairway up to it?"

He raised a brow, "Not until you mentioned it."

"For a crawler to get past the wards is odd. Either an ashlar is overturned, or something let them in," she said, her hand unconsciously going to her ribs.

He watched her, "Like a higher demon?"

She nodded, "Maybe. But one of the seals on the stones is probably cracked. We did have a big thunderstorm a while back."

He noticed she didn't sound too convinced, and looked back towards the trees, feeling like they were being watched.

xxxx

After another vicious argument with Prince Ahlad the next morning, neither Tholi nor Nozomi were in a pleasant mood. Siren had been moved to the Temple stables for her safety, and Nozomi was purposefully avoiding any contact with Tholi as a form of not so subtle pouting. During her after breakfast sparring session with Piccolo, he knocked her all around the courtyard, finally stopping when she'd landed indignantly in the fountain and resurfaced with a koi in her shirt.

At the moment she was practicing with the wing tsun dummy, her ki lowered so she wouldn't break it. Her knuckles were bleeding, and bruises were forming on her forearms from the force she was putting behind her hits and blocks along with her lowered power level. Piccolo watched her from across the room in the guise of meditation, his frown deepening as time passed. Finally, after watching her blood smear on the dummy for the third time, he got up and walked over, grabbing her wrist.

"Let go," she hissed, not looking at him.

"I think you're finished for the day."

"I'll be the judge of that," she said.

He could see the paths her tears had made, unaware that she'd even been crying, "How do you expect to make any progress in anything if you can't control your emotions?"

"What do you know about emotions," she said lowly, jerking her hand away, "I've never seen you be anything but angry."

He watched her turn away, glad she couldn't see the hurt in his eyes, "Then you haven't looked hard enough."

She turned around and saw he was walking away, and she sighed, collapsing onto her knees and wiping a tear off her cheek with a battered hand.

x

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"Because, I didn't think it was relevant," she replied, "It happened over a year ago, and I didn't think-"

"That's your problem Nozomi, you don't think sometimes," Tholi sighed, looking reproachful, "A demon doesn't stop until it gets what it wants, especially a powerful one like Shomentsu. You know what he does to young girls and yet you decided to hide this from me. Not a very wise decision."

Nozomi looked down at her hands, feeling like she was a child again, "I haven't felt him even near my house since it happened."

x

Piccolo paused at the door as he heard Nozomi's voice, and was about to leave when he heard Tholi speak.

x

"You think he stays in one area? That's naive. You think he's just planning to leave you alone? After you basically mocked him and then got away? Not likely," she frowned, "Thank Solaria Piccolo intervened, who knows what that monster would have done to you."

"I have a pretty good idea," Nozomi said softly, shuddering.

"That would have been the least of the insult," Tholi snapped, "Did he injure you? Bring blood in any way?"

She looked up, her eyes wide, watching Tholi pale.

"So he knows," she said darkly, "That does present a problem."

"He called me a Toujoukai," Nozomi said, "I thought that was a Minami term."

"It's an old term," Tholi replied, "He's old enough to know it. Of all the high demons you could have met to mark you, it had to be Shomentsu the Deceiver. The demon of many faces."

"I wasn't as strong then Tholi," she said, "I'll be fine."

"It doesn't matter how strong you are," she said softly, looking sad, "He could come to you as someone you trust. That's how he works. Just be more careful from now on. And don't sneak out anymore, for all our sake."

She looked at Tholi, her curiosity aroused at her last statement, and she got up, walking out and into Piccolo, "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," he said gruffly, beginning to walk off.

She caught up with him and blocked his way, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For earlier, I shouldn't have said that to you," she replied, ashamed at her behavior.

"Doesn't take it back," he said, beginning to walk by her.

She wrapped her arms around him, forcing him to stop, and leaned her forehead against his back, "It doesn't."

She felt his muscles relax, knowing he was actually listening to her and not just hearing her, "You're right. I'll never progress anymore until I can control my emotions. It's just hard. Sometimes I feel like there's a whole other side to me that I can't quite feel until I'm angry. Then it's like I **can't **control it, not entirely."

He looked back at her, knowing what it felt like to have so much anger inside that strove for release. How long had he lived day to day like that? "Too long."

"What?"

"Nothing," he said, looking back at her, "Just don't lose your temper tonight, or I'll make sure you don't have the energy to spar tomorrow."

She nodded, letting go of him and walking with him back outside.

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I hope this doesn't feel like it skips around too much. I'm trying to get to a more exciting point without having to put every mundane detail in here. If it's too confusing, I'm sorry. I'll try not to be so vague once I get to where there's not a bunch of boring stuff.


	31. Changes

Nozomi stared up at the moon, feeling her pulse thump in her ears. She inhaled smelling the forest over two hundred yards away over the smell of horses and sweat. Something else caught her attention and she sniffed, her eyes sliding closed as she fought back a moan. It was a scent she had grown accustomed to over the years, and though she found it stimulating, hadn't found it as enticing as she did now. She felt her body heat up, and her eyes slid open, heavy lidded as she turned her head to look at the object of her suddenly overwhelming desire. She had to get away and find somewhere cool, "I'm going to the bathhouse."

Piccolo opened his eyes at the sound of her voice, it was low and thick, and he saw the look in her eyes as she pulled her gaze away from him, "Alright."

She left and he inhaled deeply, raising a brow. There was something different about her scent. A sudden, small shift, but it was there. He swallowed; it was having an effect on him, and he didn't like it.

'_I was under the impression you were **enjoying **it.'_

He growled, _Just when I thought I'd figured out how to block you_.

Nail chuckled, '_You'll never **really **be rid of me, Piccolo_.'

He snorted, _I was afraid you'd say that_.

'_You're trying to change the subject, aren't you?'_

He didn't reply, and could hear Nail's smirk in his voice, _'Why don't you go see what she's up to?'_

_If I'd known you were this big of a pervert when I'd met you-_

'_I'm not a pervert 'P-sama'. From your reactions she's an attractive girl, you're attracted to her, and I think it'd be good for you to-'_

_Don't start with that. She's my **student**._

'_And she's slowly becoming your **equal**. What then? Are you still going to deny your desire for her? What about your feelings for her? You've not even delved into that, have you?'_

_I don't have any feelings for her._

'_Then why are you even here? Why have you stayed? And you can't say idle curiousity. Is it so hard to admit you care for her?'_

He grumbled under his breath.

'_What was that?'_

_Don't you ever get tired of being a nag?_

'_You think **you** don't deserve-'_

_That's enough! _Silence followed as he closed off the bridge between them, a deep scowl marring his usually calm features. He wanted to spar, but didn't want to find Nozomi, and he sighed. Getting to his feet, he walked out of the tent and out into the middle of the rear pasture, concentrating to perform his split form technique.

x

Nozomi resurfaced with a gasp, pushing her wet hair off her face, floating for a moment in the tepid water. Her body felt warm, and no matter what she did, she couldn't bring her temperature down. It wasn't unpleasant, just uncomfortable. She felt like she needed something, but what it was she didn't know. She sighed and dove back under the water, seeing something flash through one of the windows as she turned over, resurfacing and hearing the distinct sound of ki blasts. Quickly getting out and dressing, she ran outside, stopping as she saw Piccolo fighting with himself.

She stood there a moment, finding it difficult to follow his movements with her power level lowered, so she sat down and focused on their ki. She suddenly saw their auras, and she watched them that way, having to flip backwards to avoid a missed ki blast.

One of the Piccolos noticed her then, and screamed as the other shot a makankosappo through his chest. Nozomi jumped up and caught him as he fell, using her tokunoyakai to shield them as another was fired at them. It pushed them down faster, and Nozomi turned them so she hit the ground first, feeling her breath whoosh out of her as Piccolo landed on her. She pushed him off in time to block another attack, and fired a masenko at the attacker, following behind it as she powered up, moving in front of him as he dodged the ki blast.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he screamed, blocking her blows.

"Keeping you from killing yourself!" she yelled back, "And you call me reckless!"

"Will you look behind you already?!" he growled, watching his other half raise an eyebrow behind her.

She turned around and he punched her in the face before re-merging with his other half.

"If you said 'made ya look', I'll kill you," she said, rubbing her jaw, "I keep forgetting you heal fast."

He smirked, "I bet you don't from now on."

She smirked back, "You wanna talk, or you wanna spar?"

He grunted in reply, both of them becoming a blur.

xxxx

"Well, it's almost over."

He opened an eye and watched her stretch, "How much longer do we have to put up with all these annoying people?"

She smiled, "Another day. Then it's back to peace and quiet, and no annoying princes."

"At least until the Tenkaichi Budokai," he said, "Though Vegeta is a bit more tolerable."

She chuckled, "If you want to call it _tolerable_."

"Nozomi."

They both turned and watched Tholi stride over, "I just got off the phone with ChiChi."

Nozomi and Piccolo looked at each other briefly, and Nozomi raised a brow, "Oh?"

"I was thinking that it was about time you started getting a formal education," Tholi replied, "since you're unable to compete in the Woman's World Tournament any longer, and the Tenkaichi Budokai isn't until you're eighteen. You could start school at the final level and graduate from a high school. You need to start getting out and socializing. You can't be a fighter forever, you know."

She looked down at the ground, feeling betrayed somehow, "I'll do what you think is best Tholi."

"Good. I'll enroll you at Orange Star High School. That way you can be with Gohan and you'll have someone you know there," Tholi said, looking happy.

"But that's all the way in Satan City," she said, "How am I supposed to-"

"I'll see about renting you a house there. Of course Siren will be going with you," she said, looking at Piccolo, "I don't think a two bedroom on the outskirts of the city will be too hard to find."

Nozomi nodded, and turned around, "Whatever you say Tholi."

She and Piccolo watched her walk off with slumped shoulders, and Tholi sighed, "I figured she'd be happy about it."

"You just told her everything she's spent her life doing is pointless," Piccolo said, "She's been a warrior her whole life, and now you decide it's time for her to be _normal_?"

She looked up at him, "Don't **you **want something better for her than the life we've had?"

"You seem to have done just fine," he said, beginning to go where Nozomi had gone.

She watched him leave, heaving a sigh, "This is what I was afraid of."

x

Piccolo found Nozomi watching the jousting finals from the temple roof, standing next to her and watching her hug her legs, "Are you going to sulk all night?"

"No," she pouted, giving him a cross look, "I just don't get why I have to move all the way to Satan city just to go to some dumb old school. I've been doing just fine for the past twelve years. I don't get why it's suddenly so important."

"She just wants you to be happy," he said,_ Even if she has a skewed view on how to accomplish it._

"Well, moving and going to school isn't going to accomplish it," she growled, "I could just as easily go to West View High. And if she didn't want me to be a fighter, she shouldn't have trained me as one since I could walk. It's a little late in life to make a career change."

He chuckled, "You're not that old Nozomi."

"Neither are you, but you bitch about being old all the time," she quipped, "If you get to gripe about being old at twenty, I get to at sixteen."

He snorted, watching her smile at him, "Fine."

"Aren't you going to sit down? Or are you going to stand there like a gargoyle all night?" she smiled, watching him frown.

He raised a brow and sat down next to her, seeing she was sweating, and he frowned, "It's not that warm."

"No, it's not," she replied, "I just can't get cool here lately. I know I'm not ill, but what else could it be? I've changed twice today."

She didn't feel like going into extreme detail, like how her hips and breasts hurt, or that she'd also cut her nails twice that day, she smelled odd, and the fact that she was sure her lips were plumper. Tholi was of no help either, she just felt of her head and made her drink tea. Nasty tea at that. She started chewing on her bottom lip, feeling her canine suddenly pierce it, and cursed.

"What the-" she lifted her hand to her lip and when she pulled it away she saw a deep red smear, and frowned. Her blood even smelled different.

Piccolo watched a drop of it slide down her chin onto her choli, _What is different about her? There's something, but I can't figure it out_, "How did you bite yourself that hard?"

"I didn't," she said, "At least I don't think I did."

She ran her tongue around her mouth and frowned, _They** are** longer, top and bottom. What's happening to me?!_

She healed her lip and licked the blood off her chin, wiping the rest on her gi, the smell of it beginning to make her thoughts fuzzy, "I'm gonna go change my gi. I'll be right back."

He watched her get up and walk to the edge, his eyes widening when she just walked off it, and he went over, seeing her land like a cat and keep walking. Her hips were swaying hypnotically as she moved, and he saw several men stop and look at her, frowning.

x

She took off her choli, sighing as a breeze blew over her exposed skin. Removing her pants, she changed into a bikini and put on a pair of shorts, throwing her hair up into a loose, messy bun. Walking back out, she felt immensely better, even if she was getting some odd looks from people. She walked back to the spot she'd landed and jumped back onto the roof, watching Piccolo stare at her.

He blinked, his eyes fixed on her as she swayed back over to him. He finally realized he was staring at her and he looked away, feeling flushed. Glancing back at her as she sat next to him, he watched the muscles in her legs and stomach flex, and his eyes traveled up to her breasts. Blinking, he watched them move gently as she breathed, forcing his eyes up her long neck to her lips. He frowned, they looked fuller, and when he looked up, he watched her raise an eyebrow before she smirked.

"See something you like?" she teased.

"There's something different about you," he said, watching her eyes darken, "I'm trying to figure it out."

"Uh huh," she said, turning back to watching the jousting, "And I suppose that constitutes ogling my breasts for five minutes."

"It wasn't five min- I wasn't _ogling _them," he frowned, realizing she'd tricked him, "If they weren't hanging out for the world to see, I wouldn't have noticed."

"I know you wouldn't have," she said, in a tone that even shocked her.

He turned and looked at her. Had that been disappointment in her voice? Was she disappointed by what he'd said. He stared out towards the arena below with a slight frown, not paying attention to the competition in front of him. No, it's not possible. He sighed, and saw she was fidgeting, looking back at her with a raised brow. He saw she was sweating again, despite the fact she was half naked and the weather was cool, and he noticed the scent he'd smelled earlier. It wasn't her normal scent, this was more alluring . . .headier. It reminded him of something, was on the fringe of his subconscious, but he just couldn't bring it to his conscious.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, watching her jerk when he'd spoken, "Nozomi?"

"Fine," she said, getting up and walking back off the roof. When she landed she took off running, feeling like she was going to burst if she didn't do something, anything.

He saw the shape of her form running towards and into the tree line, and he turned back to the contest, finally closing his eyes and trying to force his memory.

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Sorry for the long lapse in time. School's getting intense, and I've been studying for our almost daily exams. Hopefully things will calm down soon. I'll try to get more up by next week, if my friends don't steal me away from my comp.


	32. The Cruelty of Lust

She resurfaced and took a deep breath, floating on her back lazily. Feeling slightly cooler, all that remained from before was the driving need and pull that thrummed with her pulse. She stared languidly at the sky, beginning to hum softly, picking out shapes in the golden orange clouds. _Hmm, that one looks like a rabbit. That one looks like . . . Well, that one looks like a cloud now that the wind moved it. _Sighing, she dove back under the water and swam towards the shore, walking out and drying herself off with a quick power up. She bent over to pick up her discarded shorts, and stopped, feeling like someone was watching her. She casually put her short back on, her eyes scanning in front of her, trying to sense any power levels behind her.

Nothing.

Brushing it aside, she stretched her back and inhaled deep. Everything suddenly seemed more . . . real. She felt so alive, and she inhaled the intense smell of autumn; the rich soil, the turning leaves, the crisp, earthy smell of the fallen leaves. Her eyes scanned the foliage, and she spotted a fox standing fifty yards ahead of her at the edge of the trail. It turned and ran away, and she had the insane urge to chase it. She lifted her head, smelling its wild scent, and began walking again, feeling her body begin to warm up now that she was out of the cold water. That's when she felt it; there was someone behind her.

She spun around into a defensive position, and scanned the path, the fact that it was twilight and she could see not registering yet. Her eyes narrowed and she stood up, her body relaxing as she turned around.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she jumped back and stared, watching Piccolo raise a brow at her.

"What the Hell?! You can't just go around sneaking up on people Piccolo!" she gasped, glad he was there, and yet not as the sudden rush of adrenaline had heated her body even more, "What are you doing out here?"

"Obviously looking for you," he said, giving her a once over, "You've been gone a long time, and it's getting dark."

She looked up at the now violet sky and sighed, "Sorry, I was swimming."

His brow raised again, "In this weather?"

"I told you, I've been burning up all day today," she growled, giving him a look.

He watched a bead of sweat roll down her neck and between her breasts, inhaling her scent, "Still haven't figured out why yet?"

She scowled, putting her hands on her hips to keep them to herself as she pouted, "If I had, I wouldn't be sweating right now, would I?"

He suddenly reached out and pushed her back against the tree, kissing her aggressively as the smell and taste of her threatened to drive him mad. Pressing his body to hers, he hoisted her up and pulled her legs around his waist. Pulling back from the kiss, he growled as he ran his tongue up her neck, nipping her ear.

She panted, her skin blazing where his hands and mouth traveled, some small part of her calling the situation into question. Biting her lip, she tried to silence it, not wanting to stop the pleasurable onslaught, especially as one of his hands began sliding up her inner thigh. Running her palms up his chest, she caught his lips in another bruising kiss, her head falling back with a groan as he began teasing her through the thin material of her bikini.

"P-Piccolo!" she gasped, feeling him smirk against her neck, and she looked into his eyes, seeing a flash of maroon before he attacked her neck again.

She was losing herself again as a hand squeezed one of her breasts, and she pushed against his chest before it was too late, "Stop."

"What?" he scowled, feeling her arch into his hands, "I don't think you really want that."

She had to admit he was right, but there was something so wrong about the situation. Since when had Piccolo desired her, and why hadn't she seen it? After all, this was reality, not one of her dreams. He also hadn't said her name. In fact, he wasn't acting like himself at all.

Her body screamed at her to let it go, that she was close, but her mind - and her heart - had to know.

"But . . ." she looked him in the eyes again, and saw they **were **maroon, beginning to panic, "Get off me!"

No longer needing to keep up the facade, he sneered at her with suddenly pale lips, grabbing her wrists and pinning her, "A few more moments, and you would have been mine."

"Never!" she hissed, grunting as he ground one of his legs against her, "Stop it! You disgusting-"

"Just a few seconds ago you were practically begging for this," Shomentsu said contemptuously, running his lips down her jaw and over the curve of a breast, "But then again, in the state you're in, you would."

She gave him a slightly confused look.

He lifted his face a fraction and she saw his nostrils flare before he smirked at her, "Well, well, well. You don't even know what's happening, do you?"

She stared at him, her fear turning to anger, "Nothing's happening to me."

He chuckled, watching her shiver, "You say that like you believe it. Haven't you noticed anything . . . unusual about yourself? Your hearing, your vision, sense of smell? Don't they seem a bit keener?"

She growled, "I don't-"

"And I thought Toujoukai didn't lie," he sneered, "Hmm."

"You're starting to annoy me," she said, tensing up, "Either explain, or shut up."

"Still such an insolent mouth," he clucked, brushing his lips over hers, "You're maturing. I believe humans refer to it as 'heat'."

She freed a hand and slapped him away from her, eyes blazing, hearing him growl and knowing she'd finally pushed the arrogant demon too far.

He grabbed her escaped wrist and slammed it back into the tree, his pupils beginning to fade as his eyes lightened to a vibrant crimson, "I don't know if you've noticed, but no one's here to save you. Then again, when I finish with you, there won't be anything left to save."

She cried out in pain as he dragged his claws along her inner arm, clenching her jaw and forcing back her tears as his hot tongue slid over the wounds, his hand moving to her stomach, beginning to torture her further.

x

Piccolo opened his eyes and frowned, _When did I doze off? _He felt Nozomi's power level dropping and jumped to his feet, speeding towards her.

x

She screamed as he turned her and forced her battered chest into the tree, hot tears flowing down her face as his malicious claws ran down the valley of her spine. Covered almost completely with claw and bite wounds of varying severity, she was feeling woozy. She had stopped struggling after enough of her blood had been spilled, and was only standing because of the cruel grip on her wrists. Another futile tear slipped slid down a gash in her cheek as she began to fade, feeling the grip on her wrists disappear, and she began to fall.

Coming to as she hit the ground on her back with a scream, her body one big mass of searing pain, she vaguely heard another agonized scream coming from somewhere around her. She looked up, a familiar form looming over her, and she muttered something unintelligible. They picked her up and seemed to consider how to hold her before cradling her in their arms, their heart beat familiar and soothing. Opening her eyes feebly, she stared into a pair of ebony colored pools as they shifter her, the pain sending her spiraling into the darkness of those same eyes, and she knew no more.

xxxx

Her eyelids fluttered and she groaned, her body throbbing, sweat running off her in rivulets. She felt a cool cloth against her face, whimpering as her eyes slid closed again. Looking up at the person that was gently washing her face, the look of concern etched on their features made her aware of the gravity of the situation.

"Pi-" she tried to speak, her throat feeling like sandpaper when she attempted to swallow.

He lifted her up and held a cup to her lips, watching her drink greedily, her skin feeling much too hot, "Don't talk. Tholi will be back soon."

She clutched at his gi, as he tried to pull away, thankful when he moved back towards her, burying her face in his chest, "S- sorry."

He ran his fingers through her damp hair, remaining silent. He was sorry too; sorry that he'd been sleeping until it was almost too late. The sight he'd come upon was something he never wanted to see again, but it continued to haunt him.

Nozomi had been pinned up against a tree, her bronze skin a sallow color as that demon . . . _fed _off of her. The sight of it had sent him into a blind rage, and he'd ripped him off her with so much force that he'd torn the demon's arm off at the shoulder. He hadn't - and didn't want to - considered what else Shomentsu had done to her as he wrapped her in his cape and carried her back.

Tholi had healed the wounds, and he had watched, repulsed, as an ominously black humor had seeped from the wounds and stained the sheets of her futon. It was then that she'd begun to sweat and her fever had spiked. Tholi had just left to prepare something for it when her eyes had opened.

She began to shake, and he pulled the discarded comforter around her, wondering how she could be cold when it was almost burning him to touch her. Her breathing became shallow, and she gasped, clutching at him again.

"Nozomi?" he stared worriedly at her, seeing her eyes were glazed, holding her closer.

_She looked around her, snow covering everything, her breath visible as she took it all in. There was a noise behind the hill she was looking at, and she began walking to the crest. Reaching it, she blinked, seeing a little girl in a white dress standing there. When she turned to look at her, she saw a younger version of herself. Tears streamed down the small features, and the child Nozomi turned back to look down at the bottom of the hill. She followed her gaze, and felt the blood drain from her face. Some sort of battle was going on, but she didn't recognize what the huge, hulking forms were that were attacking the people on horses in light bamboo armor. _

_The noise was deafening; the sound of dying horses and the roar of the hulking creatures, along with screams of pain as limbs were torn from bodies. She looked down at the girl, seeing her younger self wasn't there anymore. Neither was the snow or the hill. She was now standing in a long, dark corridor lit only by small, crude oil lamps. It looked like a dungeon, and she could hear something breathing farther down. Swallowing the fear in her throat, she began walking, realizing the pulse she was hearing was hers, but it wasn't in her ears. It was coming from behind the walls. _

'_I'm deep in my own mind.'_

_The sound of chains rattling was hiding another sound; something akin to leather on stone. The corridor ended and she stopped on the edge of a wide, deep room, listening to whatever was captive's breathing. She didn't know if she was ready to face it, didn't know if she could begin to fathom the truth of what it might be. . . or mean. _

"_Who are you?"_

_There was a low chuckle, and she shivered as two, pearly eyes slowly opened and narrowed at her, "Why don't you come closer and see?"_

'_That voice,' she took a few steps forward and stopped, the aura of whatever it was making her ill. _

_Another cruel chuckle, and the room suddenly blazed at it leapt at her, the chains catching just before it reached her face, and she stared into those evil, glowing, blank white eyes, huge black wings filling the entire room behind it. She stumbled back, watching lips pulling back from long fangs as it sneered, and she screamed._

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

She began struggling against the arms holding her, still screaming.

"NOZOMI!"

She stiffened and turned wide, panicked eyes towards the person holding her, and then began wailing, turning away and curling into a ball, "No, no, no!"

Piccolo watched her, not knowing what to do, and heard the flap of the tent open, looking back at Tholi, "What's happening to her?!"

"I don't know," she said truthfully, rushing over and gathering her in her arms, "Nozomi, what's wrong? Nozomi?!"

"No! No! Why didn't you tell me?! Why Tholi?! It's your fault, all your fault!" Nozomi said deliriously, fighting against her, "You knew! You lied! Why?! WHY?!"

"Hold her," Tholi said sternly, going to the bowl she'd dropped and picking up a vial.

Piccolo gathered her in his arms again, Nozomi still howling, "What are you doing?"

"I'm giving her a sedative," Tholi said, pulling a dose into the syringe she had, "I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this."

"Don't let her hurt me Piccolo, please!" Nozomi cried, staring into his eyes, "Please don't let her hurt me!"

"Hold her," Tholi barked, seeing he was beginning to let go of her, grabbing Nozomi's leg.

"Stop it!" she shrieked, nearly deafening them both as the stinging fluid entered her body, and she looked at Piccolo with sad, reproachful eyes, "I trusted you. Why?!"

He held her until she went slack, his own shoulders slumping.

Tholi brushed the hair off Nozomi's face, and sighed, "She's still burning up. She's delirious."

He set her back on the futon and covered her up, "She won't . . . remember anything. Will she?"

"No," Tholi shook her head, "As out of it as she was. You know that wasn't really her. Her fever and the after affects of the demon's poison, that's what it was."

He hummed in reply, watching her frown in her sleep.

"Don't blame yourself," Tholi said gently, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You know she doesn't."

He grunted, wishing he was as confident as he sounded.

xxxx

He opened his eyes as she stirred, seeing she was looking at him.

"You've been there all night?" she rasped.

He just blinked at her.

She pushed herself up, feeling stiff, "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" he asked.

"Not anything past you bringing me back here," she said, rubbing her thigh, "I must have really been out of it."

He raised a brow, "You could say that."

She smiled, "Today's the last day. I guess you can't wait to leave."

"I've been ready to leave since we got here," he said gruffly, closing his eyes as she got out of bed and got dressed, opening them and seeing she was in her winter gi, "I thought you were hot?"

She paused as she was tying her sash, realizing she wasn't burning up anymore, "That's odd. I feel fine today."

She didn't mention the fact that other than the yearning and the heat, she was just the same. A quick once around of her tongue over her teeth and the clear sounds coming from the neighboring tent twenty yards away confirmed it.

"Maybe now you won't be so distracted," he grumbled, getting up and stretching, "You're even** more **intolerable when you're ill."

"Thanks for the concern," she quipped, knowing he really had been concerned, "I'll remember that on the off chance you get sick."

He snorted, "I get sick all the time. Sick of yo-"

He jumped as she suddenly slapped his backside, watching her smirk at him as she darted out of the tent, glad she couldn't see his resulting blush. Chuckling, he followed her as she practically pranced towards the Temple, glad she'd gotten over whatever she had.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

How this turned into what it did, I'll never know. It just did. I hope it wasn't too graphic or anything, I tried to keep it as tame as I could. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.


	33. Drunken Words Are Sober Thoughts

Nozomi stared into her drink lifting it to her lips as she stared out over the feasting crowd from her vantage point at the head table. She had won the Yabusame competition and was sitting with the other winners, the jousting champion continuing to stare down her dress as he shamelessly flirted with her. She was continuing to ignore him, since she had other things on her mind than sex with the oafish man. Then again, anyone would.

What was on her mind was the nightmare she'd had during her fever, even though she had told Tholi and Piccolo that everything had been a blur. Quite the contrary, she wished it had been; especially the vivid nightmare. A hand on her leg shifted her focus outward again and she brought her cup to her lips to hide her words from the milling crowd.

"Do you value that hand?"

The man blinked at her, oblivious to the subtle threat.

"Remove your hand from my body, or I'll remove it from yours," she growled, feeling the hand jerk away with a smirk.

She finished off the cup, feeling it burn as she refilled it from the little earthenware jar, crossing her legs. Dressed in a beautiful traditionally styled gown with koi dancing between waves and lotuses, she felt regal and elegant. Elegant at least between someone who strongly reminded her of Goku on one side and Prince Ahlad on the other. The latter kept sending her glares, and she was slowly drowning them both out with drink. Lifting her eyes again she spotted Piccolo, who had forgone his usual gi for a black brocade cheongsam, with solid black pants and a red sash. He was standing away from the rest of the rabble, arms crossed and leaning against one of the light poles. He glanced up at the head table and watched Nozomi smile, briefly smiling back before one of the Temple girls appeared in front of his face.

She sighed, pouring another drink and hearing Ahlad muttering something about how shameful it was, and she twitched, knowing it was in everyone's best interest if she kept her mouth closed. It still didn't stop her from throwing back another one, her lips beginning to feel numb.

x

"You look like you could use a drink."

He raised a brow, looking down at the girl that winked at him. _What was her name?_ He simply took the cup she offered him and watched her start to pour, "It's not elderberry liquor is it?"

"Of course not," she said, giving him a silky smile.

He sipped it, watching her lean towards him and wishing she'd just leave.

"So, what are you doing here, all alone?" she cooed, batting her eyes at him.

"Enjoying the solitude," he grumbled, watching her smile falter, "What do you want?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted any company tonight," she said with a lilt.

"No," he said bluntly, finishing his drink, "I'll have enough once Nozomi-."

"So, you two are then," she frowned, shooting a look at the head table.

"Are what?" he frowned, watching her refill his cup.

"You two are lovers," she smiled slyly, watching him choke as he took a drink.

"What?!" he coughed, "No! No, we aren't!"

"Ah, I thought as much," she said, filling his cup a third time, "No fault of your own, I'm sure."

He stared at her, wanting to throw her onto the roof, "What are you-"

"I'm sure you have urges- needs- that she hasn't fulfilled, has she?" she asked, taking a step forward and putting her hands on his chest.

He cleared his throat and took a step back, even as the drink was beginning to have it effects, "I think you're getting the wrong idea about . . . things."

"Am I? I've seen the way you look at her," she said, deciding to change tactics, "When you think no one's watching."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he growled, finishing the drink and handing her the cup, "Now leave me the Hell alone."

He turned and walked off, hearing her curse under her breath before she stormed off.

'_What the Hell was that?"_

_I have no idea_, he replied, turning and looking back, _What did she mean, 'the way you look at her'?_

'_That's obvious, but as you've been drinking, I won't elaborate until later_, Nail chuckled.

_I'm not drunk_, he frowned, feeling the drink hit him suddenly, _I'm just . . . tired_.

Nail laughed, _'I suggest you go to the tent and lay down before you pass out in the open and get yourself molested.'_

He chuckled, _Right_. Staggering slightly, he walked back to the tent, stumbling in and pulling on his clothes, feeling suddenly warm.

x

Nozomi finally left the festivities, taking another drink and throwing the empty sake bottle into the darkness. Stumbling into the tent, she saw Piccolo lying on his futon, face down and shirtless. He was snoring loudly, and she smiled, beginning to undo her gown and tossing it over a camp chair. Kneeling down, she straddled his hips and leaned to whisper in his ear, "Piccolo."

He grunted and tried to open his eyes, "What No-chibi?"

She let the nickname slide, kissing the hinge of his jaw, "I think you've been drinking."

"Mmm," he hummed, groaning as she kissed behind his ear, "What are you doing?"

"What does it feel like I'm doing?" she countered, continuing to kiss down his neck while she rubbed his shoulders.

"It feels nice," he slurred, his mind too fuzzy for the reality of the situation to register.

She chuckled darkly as she nipped his shoulder, "We are so wasted."

He chuckled and reached back, pulling her off his back and against him, burying his face in her hair, "You smell good."

She giggled girlishly and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You smell good too."

She felt him smile as he pulled her closer, and traced down his neck, "You asleep?"

He hummed in reply again and she cupped his face and kissed him, sliding her tongue over his bottom lip. He groaned as he parted his lips, a hand running down her side to pull her hips against his when her tongue slid over his. It was an odd, thrilling sensation, and he mimicked her actions, unknowingly pulling one of her legs over his hip. She finally had to pull away to breathe, and she began kissing down his neck, feeling his moan in her needy lips, groaning as his hand slid down to cup her backside.

His breath hissed through his teeth as she gave his shoulder a hard nip, feeling like a bolt of electricity had gone down his spine. He captured her lips again and rolled her to her back, groaning as his hips ground against her. She pulled away, feeling him kissing down her neck, blinking as he stopped at her shoulder. A sudden snore made her frown; effectively popping the sexually charged bubble she'd previously been floating in.

"I guess we'll just cuddle," she sighed, shifting and feeling him groan against his shoulder, "Aishiteru P-sama."

xxxx

Piccolo groaned and stretched, feeling something lumpy under him. Opening his eyes, he watched Nozomi's mouth move as she shifted, obviously trying to get comfortable. He got up, and raised a brow as he noticed Nozomi was in her underwear. Looking down at himself, he saw he was similarly dressed, and flushed. He got up quickly, watching her roll over and drag his pillow down like a teddy bear, wondering what he'd drank the night before. He pulled on his gi, trying to remember what had gone on the night before. Hearing a groan, he turned, seeing Nozomi was stretching.

She pushed herself up and ran her fingers through her hair, "Morning."

He cleared his throat, looking away as she got up and pulled on a gi, remaining silent.

"Sorry I fell asleep on you last night, I was cold," she lied, knowing why he was being odd.

He turned towards her, watching her smile at him.

"You make a good teddy bear," she smirked, kissing his cheek as she walked out of the tent.

"I do not!" he said crossly, knowing his cheeks were glowing.

x

"Remember to be at Satan City by April first for orientation," Tholi said, watching her tighten the girth on Siren's saddle.

"I know, we've been over this ten times already," Nozomi sighed, tired of discussing it, "You've got everything else taken care of, all I have to do is show up."

Tholi raised an eyebrow, watching her swing up onto the young horse, "_Ohan na lo_."

"_Ohan na lo_," she muttered, turning Siren and heeling her into a fast lope, lifting her arm as she passed Yume and Kosui.

Piccolo walked out of the Temple and raised a brow, "She left already?"

"She's not happy with me at the moment," Tholi replied, "Her way of pouting, I suppose."

He 'hmphed' in reply, beginning to take off.

"Piccolo."

He paused, about twenty feet off the ground, and looked down.

"Take care of her," Tholi said, looking somewhat sad.

He nodded, wondering what she meant as he headed after Nozomi.

xxxx

"You're not focusing!" he yelled, watching her land in the pond again and come up shivering, "Why exactly are you so distracted?"

There was a nicker and he sighed, watching Siren prance over to the edge of the pond and sniff Nozomi as she pulled herself out, "I knew that animal would cause problems eventually."

"What?" she frowned, drying off with a power up that sent the horse running, "What exactly are you saying?"

"That you need to stop worrying about that horse and worry more about your training," he said, crossing his arms.

"I'm not getting rid of her!" she screamed, hands on her hips.

He rolled his eyes, "I wasn't suggesting that. I was just-"

"Then what were you-"

"WILL YOU LET ME FINISH?!" he screamed, watching her jaw clench, "I was making an observation, that's all. If you spent as much time fretting over your training as you do about that horse-"

"Her name's Siren," she growled.

He sighed, "About Siren, then you'd be progressing faster with your ki manipulation."

"Really?" she asked, crossing her arms to mimic his position, "I'm sure it has nothing to do with your training methods."

He scowled, "Excuse me?"

"I know very well you can hear me, Piccolo," she growled, "Maybe if you spent less time sparring hand to hand with me and more time-"

"Is that what you really want!?" he snapped, "Me to spar with you using my ki? That's a joke. I'd kill you."

"Then you have no self control," she said calmly, raising an eyebrow.

"You really try my patience, No-chibi," he snarled, clenching his jaws and fists, "I've got half a mind to-"

"What? Beat the crap out of me?" she frowned, "Nothing you do to me can make me respond to you any differently. After nearly five years together you'd think you'd have realized that."

He watched as she turned her back on him, sighing angrily, "So are you saying you'll always be a pain in my ass?"

She chuckled, turning enough to look at him out of the corner of her eyes, "Exactly. You're free to leave anytime you want, you know."

"Am I?" he asked, "You'd just find me and drag me back here."

"Are you sure about that?" she countered, giving him a sly look, "Maybe I'd let you come crawling back on your own."

"Are we gonna do this, or talk?" he asked, raising a brow as he crossed his arms.

He had her full attention, "Do what?"

"Are you wanting to work on your ki, or talk all day?" he repeated, wondering what she thought he meant.

"Oh. Well, of course I do," she said, mentally slapping herself as she took a neutral position, "Well, let's go."

xxxx

"Pack a bag and meet me outside."

She looked at him as if he'd suddenly grown horns, and opened her mouth.

"Don't ask, just do it!" he snapped, watching her mouth quickly shut.

She nodded and headed up the stairs, curiousity eating her inside as she got her tournament bag and began packing, not knowing how much or little she should take.

x

She finally came downstairs with the bag slung over her shoulder, and watching him turn and look at her for a minute, "So where are we going?"

"You'll find out when we get there," he said, seeing her look over at the horse, "Tholi's coming to get Siren. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, but when is she-"

"Try to keep up," he said, taking off.

She rolled her eyes, giving the horse a quick peck on her velvety nose before shooting into the air after him. She caught up with him easily, smirking as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "As if I need to try to keep up with you."

He smirked back, "Really?"

She shot ahead of him and felt him coming up beside her, pushing herself to the limit. He caught up with her again and crossed his arms, watching her scowl.

"Did you know we're going the wrong way?" he shouted, watching her slow down.

"Are you serious?" she asked back.

"No."

"Damn you!" she bellowed speeding up again.

She heard him chuckle as they rose up into the clouds, almost losing sight of him as they flew through them. There was a noise to her right and she turned her head, seeing a whiskered nose beginning to rise out of the clouds, followed by a pair of crystal blue eyes and a huge pair of ivory antlers. She stared as the dragon dipped down again, it's long, serpentine body moving deceptively slow. She descended out of the clouds and her jaw dropped. It was huge, bigger than anything she'd seen before, and it was twisting and writhing as it flew, it's movements almost lazy.

She sped up until she was even with its head, looking at the large aquamarine eye turn towards her and blink. It rumbled at her, more like a purr, and she reached out and touched it's cheek, noticing it was warm rather than cold. The eye blinked at her again, before the massive creature dipped down into another cloud bank and disappeared. She looked up and saw that Piccolo was flying just above her, and she smiled, feeling exhilarated.

He smiled back, unable to hold it in. She was wide-eyed and flushed, like she'd just seen the most wonderful thing in the world, and she suddenly laughed and began speeding off. He caught up with her and they flew next to each other for the next hour without fighting or trying to outdo the other, and he caught sight of their destination in the distance.

Nozomi spotted it and raised a brow, thinking it reminded her of the bottom half of a child's ornate top. She landed next to Piccolo and looked around at the white marble grounds and at the occasional neat landscaping, adjusting the bag on her shoulder, "What is this place?"

"Kami's Lookout," he replied, watching her stare at him.

"What?!" she hissed, beginning to fix her hair and try to smooth the wrinkles in her worn gi, "Why didn't you tell me?! I look horrible!"

He raised a brow, "Why does it matter what you look like?"

She was about to answer when another voice cut her off, and she turned, staring at the person walking towards them.

"Piccolo! It's been a long time!"


	34. These Dreams

"Piccolo! It's been a long time!"

"It has," he replied, watching Nozomi shoot him a look, "This is Nozomi."

She bowed low, "It is an honor to meet the Guardian of the Earth."

The younger Namek blushed, "The pleasure's all mine."

He turned to Piccolo again with a smile, "So what brings you all here?"

"Training," he replied, shooting Nozomi a look, "Without any unnecessary distractions."

She frowned, "I don't get distracted."

Her statement was punctuated by her looking at Mr. Popo as he walked up, her curiosity obvious.

He snorted, not seeing Dende raise a brow, "Well, here there won't be any excuses for you to be **lazy**."

She twitched, and then gave him a sly smirk, "So I guess that means you won't have any excuse to be an **asshole**."

"I'll enjoy making you eat those words," he growled, watching her give him a smug look, "You're getting unnecessarily arrogant."

"I learned from the best," she replied, tossing her hair off her shoulders, "And for someone who tells me I'm lazy, you sure do waste a lot of time arguing with me."

He clenched his jaw, "Why you little-"

"Popo, let's show them to their rooms!" Dende said quickly, seeing Piccolo was beginning to twitch and clench his fists.

"Come this way," Popo said, bowing to Nozomi.

She followed him, turning and looking back at Piccolo, giving him a satisfied smirk as he scowled back at her. He shook his head as she began talking to Dende, and his eyes traveled down to watch her hips as he began to walk behind them.

xxxx

"This is ridiculous!"

"Only because you don't like it," Piccolo replied, opening an eye and looking at her as she balanced in the crane position, "Now stop talking."

Nozomi huffed, her nose beginning to itch. She wiggled it, and then began moving her mouth and nose both as it persisted.

Piccolo opened his eyes again and frowned, "I suggest you stop making faces at me."

"My nose itches," she growled back, "I can break form, or look like a dumb ass, which would you prefer?"

He smirked at her, and she narrowed her eyes, "Remind me why I'm doing this."

"Endurance," he replied, "I would think you'd be used to this exercise, seeing as how Tholi uses this as punishment."

"Even Tholi stops at five hours," she snapped back, "I spent the entire morning on the other leg, and five on this one. Don't you think that borders on excessive?"

"No, and shut up."

She sighed, after another five minutes beginning to shift slightly, "I have to use the bathroom."

He huffed and opened an eye, seeing she did look uncomfortable, "Fine."

She sped off, nearly flattening Dende and then knocking over a potted palm as she bowed in apology. He watched her with a raised brow, walking over to Piccolo as he tried to meditate again, "So she's what's been occupying your time lately."

"I have my reasons," he said, watching the younger Namek smile at him.

"She's very attractive."

"Haven't noticed," he grunted.

"Oh," Dende said, clasping his hands behind his back as he smiled knowingly, "I wasn't aware you were going blind."

"I'm not," Piccolo growled, rolling his eyes, "I suppose she is rather appealing."

"She's very polite too," Dende added, thinking of how she refused to call him 'Dende' and instead referred to him as 'Kami-sama'.

"You would be surprised," Piccolo sighed, "Sometimes I think she's lost her respect for me."

"I don't think it's that," Dende smiled, "I think you make it too easy for her to goad you. You two seem very fond of each other."

"Humph," he grunted, watching her walk back towards them.

"Here," she said, handing him a bottle of water, and then bowing to Dende, "I'm sorry I didn't bring you one Kami-sama."

"I'm fine," he replied, watching her go back to her former position.

"Wrong leg No-chibi," Piccolo smirked, taking a deep pull from the bottle, "One more hour on the left."

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm nice to you," she said, more irate at being called 'No-chibi' in front of Dende, "P-sama."

He twitched, momentarily forgetting Dende was there, "There are moments with you that I wonder why I bother with self restraint."

She smirked, giving him wide eyes as her voice dripped with sugar, "Because you loooooooove me."

"Hardly," he scoffed, "More like I don't want to waste my time explaining to Tholi why you're dead."

She wrinkled her nose and waggled her head, "Love you too P-sama."

"That's what I mean," he said to Dende.

Nozomi raised an eyebrow.

"I think she's being sincere," Dende said, seeing through both of them.

"You were talking about me?" she asked, and then smirked slyly, "What was it about?"

"You're breaking form!" he snapped as she crossed her arms, watching her quickly jerk them back up, "It was about how infuriating and intolerable you are."

"Funny how it's only you that thinks so," she replied snottily, hopping on her foot to turn her back on him.

"I think you hurt her feelings," Dende said, watching her.

"She does it on purpose, and she knows it," he said loudly, "She **enjoys** pissing me off."

She turned her head slightly, "And you make it **so** easy Piccolo."

He began growling at her as she began singing some idiotic song about beer bottles on a wall and Dende leaned towards him with a small smile, "I won't tell her how you really feel."

Piccolo gave him a sideways glare, "You're delusional."

x

They stood there for the rest of the hour, Dende doing most of the talking, Piccolo only half listening, and Nozomi singing '_One hundred bottles of beer on the wall_' under her breath. She got down to one as time ran out, making a big production of it, and leaned backwards, beginning to float on her back.

"I'm finished," she smiled, stretching, "Twelve hours of the crane position. Really Piccolo, without weights, what was the purpose?"

"I was hoping I'd get some quite time, but I suppose that's too much to ask for with you around."

She shrugged, twisting to stand on her feet, "You could just ignore me."

"Unfortunately, you make that an impossibility as well," he grunted, putting his own feet on the ground and stretching out his back.

She shook her head, turning when someone cleared their throat behind her.

Popo smiled and then bowed, "Dinner is ready Miss. I hope you like dango."

Her eyes widened, and she squealed, "I love it!"

She flew into the palace, making Piccolo sigh as Popo and Dende stared after her. Making it to dining hall, she stared at the plates heaped with skewered rice dumplings, "Oh! So many kinds!"

She sat down and began eating with gusto, a growing pile of skewers accumulating next to her, not paying attention to the others as they walked in.

"Still think she's polite?" Piccolo asked, watching her stick an entire skewer in her mouth and strip it of the dumplings, swallowing them whole.

"Well, at least she keeps her mouth closed," Dende replied, "Can she really eat all of that?"

"And more," Piccolo replied, "She's got an appetite that rivals a Saiyan's."

"Maybe I should have made more," Popo said, seeing her finish off one of the plates.

x

Piccolo stared off the edge of the Lookout, gazing down at the Earth below, and felt someone come to stand next to him, "What is it Dende?"

"What did you say her last name was again?"

He looked at the young Kami, "Sensono, why?"

"Sensono. Sensono Nozomi," Dende said, "She was raised at the Solarian Temple?"

"No, that's where she trained at before- Before I started training her," he replied, "What is it?"

"Nothing, I was just curious," Dende said, smiling, "I just find her intriguing."

He snorted, "You ought to live with her. Where is she anyway? She usually takes this time to annoy me."

"She's in the library. Last time I looked in on her she was perusing through the scrolls," he said, "Sensono Nozomi. Hmm, interesting."

Piccolo looked down at him, raising a brow.

x

Nozomi pulled another scroll down and blew the dust off it, taking it over to the monastery desk. The parchment crackled as she opened it, shocked to see the ancient Minami alphabet. The block styled letters slanted to the right, making it difficult to read, even as she tilted it. She began reading it, seeing it looked eerily familiar.

_August 11,756_

_While praying in the inner sanctum, I was startled to look up and see that writing had appeared on the hem of the clothing on the Statue of Solaria. It was etched into the gold, were just a moment before nothing had been. After my initial shock, I set about translating it and found that it was a prophetic riddle of sorts, specifically naming the Destroyer and an upcoming war. _

_Neither the other priestesses nor myself understand exactly what it means, other than the second coming of the Eater of Souls. Perhaps after more meditation we shall decipher an answer._

_This even comes at an odd time, as yester night was the first lunar eclipse in nearly a decade, and marked an attack on the Temple itself by a variety of lesser demons. Upon inspection of the grounds, one of the barriers was found splintered as if by something's claws. Perhaps during the recent storm . . ._

She skimmed over the rest, and then stared at the signature, blinking in disbelief. It had been written by Tholi, apparently just after the woman had arrived at the Temple. She read over it again, brow furrowing. _The Destroyer_? _Eater of Souls_? Where had she seen those before? She rolled the scroll back up and returned it, beginning to search for the answer.

x

Piccolo walked by the library on his way to his room, peeking in and seeing Nozomi slouched over a book and surrounded by scrolls, fast asleep. Chuckling, he went over and picked her up, carrying her back to her room and laying her on the bed, taking her shoes off. He undid her leg wrappings and pulled off her socks, shaking his head at her bubblegum pink toenail polish before he pulled the comforter over her. He pushed her hair out of her face and studied her features, seeing a tear slipping down her cheek.

He gently brushed it away, wondering what she was dreaming about, and turned to leave. She muttered something, and he stopped dead, turning around, "What?"

She slurred something unintelligible, rolling away from him and pulling the comforter over her head, otherwise remaining silent.

He stared at her, sure she'd said something in Namekian, but not knowing what it was. Brushing it off as her babbling in her sleep, he padded to his room. He got undressed and slid under the sheets, crossing his arms under his head, _Nail_?

There was no answer and he sighed, closing his eyes. The one moment he actually **wanted** to talk to the pest, he wouldn't answer. Focusing on his breathing, he slowly allowed himself to enter the blissful realm of sleep.

x

Nozomi shot up and grabbed her pendant, shaking. She lifted her hands to her face and began to sob, holding her shoulders and rocking. Finally calming down, she curled back up in the bed, lulling herself back to sleep.

x

Piccolo opened his eyes as he felt a sudden, familiar weight on his stomach, looking up and watching Nozomi smile at him, "What do you want No-chibi?"

A finger was placed over his lips, and he saw the smile turn into a mischievous smirk, swallowing the sudden lump that appeared in his throat as she slowly pulled her shirt over her head, "What are you-"

He was cut off by her lips closing over his, his body tensing as he felt her tongue sliding over his lower lip, eyes wide. Her hands slid up his sides to pull his shirt open, and he gasped, suddenly finding her tongue moving along his. He began relaxing as the kiss became more erotic, his pulse pounding in his ears, jumping slightly as he felt her fingers trailing along his ribs. Timidly he put his hands on her hips, groaning as she ground her hips against his groin, beginning to tremble. She took one of his hands and guided it to her sash, using her other to start undoing his. She nipped his lower lip, rubbing his now bare chest and shoulders, pulling her nails down his pecs and smirking as his breath hissed through his teeth.

"I've wanted you for so long," she sighed, brushing her lips over his, "Tell me you want me."

"I want you," he groaned, voice soft and husky.

"Say it again," she moaned, leaning up and reaching behind her to undo her bra.

"I want you," he rasped, eyes riveted to hers, "I want you now."

"Piccolo," she gasped, inching the straps of her bra down the slope of her shoulders.

He watched her with bated breath, the cloth inching down the swell of her breasts, "Yes?"

"If you don't get up in two point five seconds, I'm dumping water on your oversleepin' ass!"

He opened his eyes and shot up, dizzily watching her raise an eyebrow at him, her arms crossed and looking annoyed, "What?"

"It's after nine, Pic Van Winkle. I've done fifty laps around the palace, about a thousand handstand push-ups, and every kata I know. Now, it's time for you to wake up and spar with me. Or perhaps I'll start blowing up stuff again," she threatened, watching him blink at her and sighing exasperatedly as she turned on her heel and walked out, "And he calls **me** lazy."

He stared after as she left, looking down at his fully clothed form, and closed his eyes with a loud sigh, _A dream? It was all just a dream?_


	35. In the Library

-1A/N: Sorry for the long time between updates, life's been somewhat hectic, and I've been somewhat uninspired/ bogged down with too many projects. When I picked up finishing this chapter, I was at the point where months had passed, and somehow Nozomi has taken on a newer, more mature personality. Where it came from, I don't know, but I'd like to know what you think about it so far. Of course, you don't see much of it, and what you do see is anger. Personally, I like this new side. She's now more like the woman who I envisioned her to be instead of the somewhat bratty kid she started out as. I also added some random DBI mythology, which I hope isn't too confusing. Also decided to add the recap and the upcoming chapter teaser thing, because I can. Nyaah! Anyway, enjoy!

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**Last Chapter:**

Nozomi meets Dende, the Guardian of the Earth, and begins a new training regimen. While browsing in the Lookout's library, she discovers a scroll that sparks her curiosity about Tholi, and the Solarian Temple. Meanwhile, Piccolo is woken in the night by a not completely unwanted dream.

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"So what's on the agenda today?"

"Weighted handstand push-ups," Piccolo replied, watching her glare at him, "It'll work on your strength, balance, **and **endurance. More importantly, it'll keep you occupied so that I can have some peace and quiet."

Her eye twitched as he materialized two short balance poles and positioned them shoulder width in front of her.

"What about the weights?" she asked, watching him create those as well, seeing they were large, round disks with silken rope through the square holes in their centers, "They look like I-Ching coins."

"I hope you fall on your face," he muttered, pushing her towards the poles, "Get up there."

She grumbled as she did, her body stiffening when she felt him grab her ankles and begin pulling her legs apart, her balance wavering, "What are you doing?!"

"Positioning you," he growled, watching the upper part of her face glare at him below her cleavage, "Just relax."

"Easy for you to say," she said, attempting to.

She jumped and almost lost her balance when she felt his hands slide down her calves to her knees, pushing them apart until they were parallel to the ground. She narrowed her eyes at him, her cheeks hot, feeling vulnerable and exposed. He raised a brow as he picked up a weight, and looped it over one of her ankles, "These are a hundred pounds each. Lower your power level accordingly."

"A hundre- Fine," she sighed, almost toppling over as he let go, clenching her jaw as he put the other one on her free leg, "How low do you want me to go?"

"As far as you can," he replied, walking back ten yards to meditate.

"How many am I supposed to do?"

"Five hundred at the minimum, but do as many as you can take."

"And if I have to go to the-"

"Yell for Popo," he said, scowling at her, "I suggest you get started."

She lowered herself down, glaring at him as she did, and watched him smirk at her.

"I can't hear you count," he said, watching her do a few more.

"Four. . . Five. . . Six," she growled, moving her head to stare at the ground, _One day. One day I'll figure out just how to get him back._

x

He opened his eyes as he stretched his back, looking up and raising a brow, _She's still at it?_

" . . . Five thousand . . . Five thousand one . . ."

A bead of sweat fell from her chin into a small drying puddle between the poles, "Has she been doing that the whole time I've been meditating?"

"Mostly," Dende replied as he walked over with a nod, "She stopped to use the bathroom a few times, change her gi, and I think she may have slept for an hour or so. You didn't really expect her to stay up there constantly for twenty four hours did you?"

He didn't reply.

"I tried to get her to stop after it got dark, but she ignored me. I don't even think she's eaten."

He saw her arms shaking, and her legs were beginning to droop; she was obviously fatigued, "Time to stop No-chibi."

She didn't seem to hear him, so he walked around to where her face was pointing, seeing her eyes were clenched closed. There were tears leaking out of the corners of them, and between counting she would clench her jaws. Looking down at her hands, he saw blood between her fingers, "Nozomi, you can stop now."

She slowly opened her eyes, "I can do more."

"You need to rest," he said, taking the weights off her legs.

She lowered herself down, collapsing onto her back and fighting not to cry. Dende walked over and lifted one of her hands, seeing she'd worn them beyond raw, hearing her sigh as he healed them. She lay there, breathing deeply, her body one huge throbbing ache.

"Can you get up?" Piccolo asked, watching her shake her head and pulling her up, supporting her by an arm as he walked her towards the palace, "Come on."

Mr. Popo was washing something in the kitchen, and stared at them as they walked in.

"Fill the tub with ice and water," Piccolo said, watching the djinn run off and pulling Nozomi over to the refrigerator.

He let go of her to open it, having to grab her by the front of her choli to keep her from falling, cheeks flushing as he felt his hand slip between her sweat slick breasts. Pulling her back into him, he turned back at the shelves, not seeing what he was searching for. With an angry growl, he grabbed a bottle of water and forced half of it down her before she reacted.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" she sputtered, glaring tiredly at him.

"You're probably going to feel like it," he said lowly, dragging her to the bathroom and setting her down, "Take off your-"

"I am **NOT** getting in there!" she growled with newfound energy when she saw the tub was full of ice, futilely trying to plant her feet.

"Yes, you are," he said, "I don't think you can do much to stop me from putting you in there at this point either."

"Do, and I promise I **will **kill you," she hissed with as much venom as she could muster.

He smirked and picked her up, pulling her footwear off in one swoop, her pants following suit.

"You barbaric slug!" she shrieked, glad for the chest bindings as he pulled off her choli, "Put me down!"

"Gladly," he smirked, dropping her in the tub and watching her come up like a wild cat, pushing on her stomach until only her head was above water, "Do I have to hold you in?"

"You are so dead!" she snarled, fighting him to get out.

"I guess that answers my question," he said, "And threaten me again and I'll hold **all** of you under water."

She glared at him, leaning back against the tub, the only warm area on her where his hand was placed against her stomach, "I'm not doing this ever again."

"This, or the push ups?" he asked, watching her lips tremble.

"Listening to you," she snapped, pinching his arm, "Next time, I'm only doing five hundred."

"Sounds more your style," he chuckled, watching her lean her head back against the lip of the tub and close her eyes.

"I'm **not** lazy."

"Obviously."

She opened her eyes and turned her head, catching his gaze, both of them silent for a moment. Nozomi looked away first, knowing her cheeks were pink. He raised a brow, noticing her lips were turning blue, "Time to get out."

"About time," she sighed, letting him pull her up, stumbling when she tried to put a leg over the lip of the tub. She fell into him, feeling him wrap his arms around her as he lifted her out, "Sorry."

"Go rest," he ordered, watching as she walked stiffly away, his eyes traveling to her hips with a sigh.

xxxx

_She rolled out of the way of a knee, grabbing his foot a few inches from her face and spinning herself up as she twisted his ankle. He roared at her and knocked her into another tree, this time her body snapping the tree in two. She skidded and tumbled across the grounds, a large smear of blood marking her path. Getting up, she glared at him, blood dripping from her nose and split lips. Her tongue snake out and lick it away, the look in her eyes promising something both sensual and dangerous._

_With a growl, she spun her arms and punched the ground, smirking as it rolled towards Piccolo and caught him off guard. He jumped up in the air, watching the marble slabs lift and lower in a wave of earth, seeing Dende tumble and fall to the ground, a crack shooting up the side of the palace._

"_You're not supposed to destroy the lookout Nozomi!" he screamed, seeing she was building her ki into the tips of two fingers, her power level jumping past her normal max, "What the-"_

"_THUNDERSTIKE!" she threw her hand at him, watching the bolt of electricity slither towards him, beginning to build up for another attack._

_He moved out of the way at just the right moment, hearing it split the tree behind him and smelling smoke and ozone, turning and staring at her, his eyes wide. Her power level kept climbing, and he watched her eyes, seeing the irises were lightening, her hair flowing around her like water. She spread her hands out, both of them glowing black, and she began rapidly shooting balls of ki at him. He dodged them, wondering why she was missing him. The answer was apparent when she stopped, a smirk that was nothing short of evil on her face. _

"_You missed," he said, worry beginning to eat at his confidence._

"_Did I?" she asked lowly, "Look around you."_

_He did, and saw them. All the balls of energy were floating in air, flickering like individual fires. It was an attack like his Hellzone Grenade, and he looked back at her, "Alright, you got me. We'll call this a draw."_

_She chuckled, the sound of it like snakeskin on bone, lifting her hand, "Alright. But don't you want to see the rest of this attack?"_

_He blinked, realizing her aura had changed, "Nozomi."_

_She sneered at him, her elongated canines more pronounced, turning her palm up and touching the tip of her index finger with her thumb, all the ki balls exploding, "Party pooper."_

"_What do you think you're doing?" Piccolo hissed as she rushed him, his fist hitting her forearm as she blocked a punch._

"_What you taught me," she said coolly, her leg suddenly caught. She snarled and kicked him in the crotch, feeling him release her, "Only better."_

_He yelled and grabbed her by the throat, squeezing as he growled, watching her smirk at him again as he slammed her to the ground, "What is wrong with you!?"_

"_Haven't you figured it out yet?" she rasped, the grip on her throat making it hard for her to speak, "Or maybe you really are that blinded by-"_

"_Nozomi!" he screamed, staring into eyes that had faded so much they were almost white, squeezing her slim throat harder, "Wake up!"_

_He saw her mouth open as she tried to breath, and she began struggling in his grip, clawing his forearm and wrist._

"_Wake up damn you," he growled, sweat dripping from his nose._

He opened his eyes, shifting uncomfortably, _That was too real_.

x

Dende looked at the pile of scrolls on the usually empty desk, picking one up and unrolling it, raising a brow. He settled down onto the chair and read it over, a frown pulling at his lips as he reached for another one.

x

_The smell of copper. To the average person, it doesn't mean much. To a warrior, it's the all too familiar and distinct smell of blood. It was filling her senses now, along with the reek of fear. There was a loud, inhuman groan behind her, and then a crash as another scent greeted her. The scent of fire, of burning flesh and wood smoke. Turning her head, she watched as another hovel caught fire, a crawler running out of it dragging a small corpse. Further down, she saw bodies impaled on crude wooden spears, a corner of her mouth turning up in a satisfied smirk, "Pitiful."_

She screamed, bolting upright again as tears streamed down her face. It was only with great effort that she kept the bile down in her throat, and she shook her head, trying to banish the images she had seen from her head. _What do they mean?! What could they possible mean?!_

x

Piccolo stared at the wall in front of his bed. He'd been doing so for the past hour and a half before she screamed, thinking.

'_You ought to see if she's alright.'_

_She's fine Nail._

'_She didn't sound fine,'_ his counterpart mentally chided, _'I don't remember her ever waking herself up screaming like that.'_

_Dende will check on her._

'_What is wrong with you?! Are you really that devoid of any kind of emotion?! Or is this another feeble attempt to convince yourself that someone like you isn't deserving-'_

_Cut it out Nail,_ he mentally growled.

'_**No**! That someone like you isn't deserving of love! Admit it, that's what this is about. This isn't about what happened, and this isn't about the girl, it's about you! Poor Piccolo. Boo hoo. He doesn't deserve what everyone else does because of some imagined flaw he has, and because he's the lone wolf. He doesn't need anyone. Give me a fucking break! You're such a child, you know that? A pouty little toddler! You know what you're problem is Piccolo? You've devoted so much of your time to being a warrior, and being alone that you're afraid of **not** being alone. You're afraid to depend on another living being for anything close to emotional support.'_

_Stop it Nail._

'_Why is it so difficult for you to except that you **might **have feelings for her? You have feelings for Gohan; it's not that different Piccolo. All joking and teasing aside, why can't you admit that you care about her?'_

He remained silent, uncomfortable and wishing the other Namek would give him some semblance of peace just this one time.

'_You're in **love** with her.'_

_I suppose you'll be telling me next I'm in love with Gohan_, he mentally spat, all the acid he could muster in his sudden somber mood in it.

'_No, I'm not.'_

He raised a brow, Nail's whole demeanor had changed within an instant, _What?_

'_Nothing Piccolo. I'm just adjusting to the fact that I was wrong about you.'_

_What's that supposed to mean?_

'_If you truly don't feel anything towards Nozomi, you need to stop. Let her go and don't do this to her anymore.'_

_Do what? What are you going on about now?_

There was silence and he growled, "Nail!"

He heard a small noise to his left and turned, seeing Nozomi pulling on her pajamas, "What is it No-chibi?"

"Can- Can I stay-"

"No," he said harshly, watching her turn her head down.

"O- Okay," she said, "I'm sorry I bothered you."

She ran out, and he sighed, getting up to walk after her. Guilt filled him as he got to her room, hearing her crying through the ornate screen of the door. Shoulders slumping, he walked out to stand at the edge of the Lookout, staring down at the dark earth, "You're up late."

"I was in the library before I heard Nozomi scream. Is she alright?" Dende asked, walking over to stand next to him.

"She's fine. She just had a nightmare," he replied, raising a brow, "What have you been doing in the library?"

"Oh, just reading," Dende said, looking up at the stars, "Nail's been awfully quite lately."

Piccolo snorted, "If only that were true."

It was Dende's turn to raise a brow, "If you dislike her so much, why do you continue to live with her?"

He couldn't hide his momentary shock, and cleared his throat, "I don't dislike her. I'm not going into it with you as well Dende. Just let it go."

"Alright Piccolo," he said, turning around, "Yes Nozomi?"

Piccolo's brows raised and he turned around, wondering how long she had been there.

"I was just wondering if I could fix myself something to eat. It might help me get to sleep," she said, staring at her feet, "I'm sorry to disturb you Kami-sama."

"Of course, go ahead," he said, watching her bow before she left, "I'll see you in the morning Piccolo."

He nodded, turning back to staring downward, heaving a sigh, "I thought you were fixing something to eat."

"I came out here to talk to you."

"What do you want?"

"First, for you to get whatever crawled up your ass out of it," she scowled, crossing her arms, "Second . . . Never mind Piccolo. Once you get in one of your moods, there's just no talking with you."

"Just say whatever you came out here to say and go back to bed," he growled.

She looked at him wearily, and then just turned and began walking off, "Goodnight Piccolo."

"You came out here and annoyed me just to tell me that," he snapped after her, watching her pause.

She turned and looked back it him sadly, "It wasn't my intention to annoy you."

"No-chibi," he sighed, going to stand in front of her, "What is it?"

She stepped up to him and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist, "I can't sleep."

He raised a brow, "I'd say you can't standing out here."

"Can I just stay in your room?" she asked, burying her face in his chest, "I just- The nightmares I have- I don't want to be alone."

"Alright," he said, putting an arm around her, "But if you start snoring you're going back to your own room."

She nodded, following him back to his room and watching him sit at the foot of the bed as she crawled under the sheets, noticing his were a little rougher than hers were. Glancing towards him, she saw he was watching her, and she slowly let her eyes close, falling back into the arms of sleep.

xxxx

She clawed at the marble of the grounds as she skidded backwards, finally losing her grip and rolling, feeling him coming towards her. Snarling, she flipped backwards, kicking upwards with both feet, satisfaction running through her as they connected with some part of his body. Landing on her feet, she watched him wipe a line of blood from his chin, both of them smirking at each other with bloody mouths.

"You've gotten a lot better," Piccolo said, taking in her torn gi and nails.

"Flattery will get you no where," Nozomi replied smoothly, getting into a neutral position, "Are we finished, or should we see how much better I've really gotten?"

He looked at the horizon, seeing it was getting dark, "We're finished. Don't forget we're leaving tomorrow."

"I haven't," she said, straightening up and walking past him, "I've been dreading it for months. How could I forget?"

He watched her leave, thinking she had changed more in the past seven months than in the past five years. She had grown another inch or two, had become leaner and longer, and had lost most of her childish habits. Her training ethic had changed too. He no longer had to push and argue; she no longer whined or fussed. She would become more mature, more sure of herself. Why it had taken them coming up here was beyond him. He guessed either it had something to do with her talks with Dende and Popo, or the amount of time she spent locked in the library. He raised a brow, not seeing Dende give him a curious look as he walked outside, virtually unnoticed by the older Namek.

"Piccolo?"

Piccolo started and turned, looking down, "What?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Have you noticed anything, different, about Nozomi?" he asked pointedly.

"She's become more like you," Dende smiled, "Only she has a sense of humor."

"I'm serious," he growled.

"So am I," Dende chuckled, "She's just grown up a bit more."

He hummed, "Did you need something?"

"Just a quick question," the young Kami said, "Since you assimilated all of Kami's memories, I'm sure you'll know. Have you ever heard of Ragnarok?"

"It sounds familiar," Piccolo said, looking at the darkening sky as he mulled over it, "Something to do with the Minami Circle wasn't it? The supposed balance of Light and Dark?"

"That's just it. I can't find anything on it, just bits and pieces mentioning it in other scrolls. It's as if any actual information has been . . . removed from the library. What is there are mostly manuscripts and fables. Something about the double-winged destroyer, some Eater of Souls. It's odd," Dende said, "Piccolo, has the earth ever been plunged into darkness? I'm not talking about an eclipse, but like a figurative one."

He frowned, "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

"Well, Nozomi's been spending a lot of time in the library, and she's been doing a lot of digging into the old Minami texts. Which considering her background at the Solarian Temple, it's really not all that shocking. After all, the library here has much more than-"

"Why are you asking," Piccolo repeated, tired of his unusual rambling.

"Because there's an information lapse. I'm not talking a year or two; I'm talking two thousand years. This Ragnarok was mentioned, and then nothing for two millennia, then suddenly, another vague reference," he said, "Actually, Nozomi brought it to my attention."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes, "I'm afraid I'm just as stumped as you are. Was she going to the library?"

"I think so," he said, "Why?"

"I'd like to see what she's looking at," Piccolo said, walking towards the darkened entryway.

x

Nozomi quickly scanned the page, taking notes in a cryptography she'd developed, listening to his soft footsteps coming closer.

_Deep within the bowels of Hell, the realm of Demons, lives the Lord of All the Nine Hells, Dabura. During the Beginning, before the End was conceived, the One Law of God and Demon was passed. Neither would influence the Other, but be separate entities, forbidden to War on each Other. _

She turned the page, hearing him opening the door, and continued to read.

_After the Creation of All, the Lord of Hell became jealous of the Creatures the Gods had formed, most of all the Creatures of Solaria, the Light of Heaven and Earth. Seeking to destroy them, he sent Plagues and Evils in the forms of venomous beasts and insects, things of great and terrible strength, and created Death and Darkness. Angered, Solaria created beings to control these things in the image of the Gods, giving them all Their strengths, but with the weakness of Mortality. Solaria also gave these beings the power of Free Will, so that they would chose their own Paths and do their own Goods, and named them Man. Enraged, the Lord of Hell sent His children to twist the Wills of Man, turning many away from the Light, and towards the Darkness. _

She could feel him behind her, but she was transfixed. This was information normally reserved for priestesses and priests. It was becoming clear that it had been watered down for worshippers. She had never heard of half of this. A _One Law_? This _Lord of Hell _created death? She thought death was conceived when the first human took its first real breath, the consequence for being created by the Gods but not being of them.

_Seeing that most of their creations were beyond redemption, Solaria called for a hearing with the Lord of Hell, to plead with Him to help Her save her mortal Children. He agreed, but at the price that Man keep their Free Wills, and the ability to Chose, and that His own Children be allowed to remain. She agreed, stating that Her children would live in the Light She Created, and His Children could have the Darkness that He Created. The First Law of Balance agreed upon, Together They created-_

"What are you reading?" Piccolo finally asked, snapping her out of her trance.

She gasped, knocking the ancient tome into the floor and losing her place, cursing loudly, "I was just doing some idle research Piccolo, Gods. Can't I have five minutes to myself?"

He leaned down and picked up the book and raising a brow, "This wasn't meant for idle research you know. This information is usually reserved for-"

"Spare me the lecture, okay, I know who it's supposedly reserved for," she spat, angry at him for interrupting her at a pivotal point, "Can I have it back now? It'll take forever to find my place again."

"No," he said gruffly, "Go to bed. We're leaving early so you can get all your belongings together."

She shot him a glare that he hadn't seen in months, only this one held real deadly intent in it, and she closed her book of notes with a 'snap' before stomping out, "Asshole."

He grunted disapprovingly, and then looked back at the book in his hands, opening it and thumbing through it until he found the page she'd been on. Staring at it for a moment, he scowled as he turned the page, seeing it was on a totally different subject. Opening the book until it nearly ripped in two, he saw that a page had been removed; the frayed edge of the rip telling him it wasn't anytime recent. He closed the yellowed pages, and glanced over the shelves, going and looking at one particular collection of scrolls. Pulling one from the bottom, he saw it had the number twenty-five on it, and ran his finger over the other, matching scrolls, "Twenty four."

"What's that?"

He turned and watched Dende cock his head, "There's a scroll missing here."

"I know. I've looked for it everywhere. Even Popo has no idea where it is," Dende replied, "What was she looking at?"

"Things she could have looked at when she was at the Temple." _If she were allowed to._

"I thought so," Dende smiled, "She said she was doing an assignment for Tholi."

He shot Dende a look as he was putting the scroll back up, _She **lied **to **Dende**? That's not like her at all_, "Probably."

Dende didn't catch the look, instead he went over to the desk and straightened it up, "Well, I'll see you in the morning Piccolo."

Piccolo nodded, deciding he wanted to see what was in Nozomi's book.

x

"I was so close," she scowled, pinching the bridge of her nose as she looked over her writing, the symbols purposefully only making sense to her in the event-

"Let me see it."

"See what?" she asked, looking coolly up at the angry Namek in front of her.

"You know damn well," he growled, snatching the book out of her hands and scowling, "What's this?"

"Writing," she said, knowing it looked enough like Minami cuneiform that unless he could read Minami he would be none the wiser.

"What kind? Minami is made up of blocks. This is made up of wedges," he said, "What are you up to?"

_Shit_. "I'm not up to anything Piccolo, I was curious about all the legends, and I decided to start reading them. It got really interesting, and I suppose I got caught up in it," she shrugged.

"You lied to Dende so you could look at the texts," he frowned, "That tells me differently."

"So I made up a little white lie to indulge in this little obsession," she shrugged, getting up to take the book from him, "It hasn't hurt anyone."

He growled and grabbed her arm, shoving her up against the wall and pinning her there, "You lied to the Kami in order to look at forbidden texts that aren't supposed to be viewed by anyone but him. You betrayed his trust, and you betrayed mine."

"Don't talk to me about betrayal," she hissed, "You have no idea what that word means."

"What were you looking for?" he growled, leaning in until they were mere inches from each other.

"I don't know," she said, "That's the truth. **I'm **not even sure what it is I'm looking for, but I'm close."

"How do I know you're not lying?" he snapped, wondering when she'd lost her fear of him when he saw a brief flash of hurt in those fierce blue pools.

"Why would I lie to **you**?" she snapped back, "Tell me how that would be beneficial? Because I'd like to know so I'll know if you ever lie to me."

"Don't twist this around Nozomi. What are you looking for?"

She leaned her head up and caught his lips, feeling him tense before he responded by kissing her back, and she suddenly bit his lower lip hard enough to bring blood. He cursed and then pulled her forward before slamming her back against the wall, "Answer me."

"I already did," she snarled, watching his tongue dart out to lick the puncture wounds from her teeth, "I honestly don't know."

"Why did you do that?" he asked, obviously referring to the kiss.

"I **wanted **to," she frowned, finally pushing him off her, "Now get out. We're leaving early tomorrow, remember?"

He stepped back, shocked by her sudden aggressive behavior, and the fact that she'd kissed him. She was testing him, and he wasn't about to lose to her. He suddenly backhanded her across the face, seeing the shock in her eyes with a small pang of self-satisfaction.

"Don't **ever **do it again," he growled, "And don't ever treat me like I'm even **close **to your equal. I'm still the superior in this little relationship."

"One day, you won't be," she growled, earning her another blow, "Is this how it's going to be from now on? You beating me like a dog?"

"If I have to," he said, realizing she'd stopped staring him down and taking a defiant stand after the first hit, "I've coddled you too long."

"Yes, you have," she said, turning away from him, "Goodnight Piccolo-sama."

He turned to leave, noticing that when he looked back her eyes were dry, and heaved a small sigh. His hand moved to his injured lip as he walked to his room, trying to remember when she'd asserted herself as his equal. Somehow, he hadn't noticed, but it had obviously happened. He paused and looked back towards her room, realizing he'd just set the stage for a more intense power struggle later on. But . . . what about the kiss? That was what bothered him the most.

"_I **wanted **to."_

Somehow, he'd been sideswiped by something he didn't understand, and he wasn't sure if it was good, or if he should be worried.

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**Next Chapter:**

Nozomi and Piccolo adjust to their move to Satan City, and Nozomi begins attending Orange Star High. See you next time!


	36. Rat's Nest

-1**Last Chapter:**

Nozomi reveals her new personality, and Piccolo finds out that he's not as observant as he thought, and that Nozomi's curiosity had unearthed some strange removal of information in the Lookout's library.

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Nozomi sat the last box down and pushed her hair out of her face, scowling at Piccolo as he sat comfortably in the mountain range of cardboard and plastic storage crates around him, "You could have helped at least."

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself," he smirked, not opening his eyes, "Why ruin your fun?"

"Enjoying myself my ass. The lazy old lizard never does anything to help. Just bitches," she grumbled, making sure it was loud enough for him to hear, "He ought to try doing all the shit I do, then maybe-"

"Will you shut up all ready? It's bad enough that you have to make noise moving all your **shoes**, but add your complaining to it and it's damn near unbearable," he growled, opening an eye, "And you really don't do that much. You train, you clean, and you cook for yourself. I don't care if you do the last two, as long as they don't affect the first."

"Well then, you can just go around in a dirty gi from now on," she said, opening the first box and stifling her cursing when she saw it was indeed filled with shoes that she had yet to wear.

"You'll eventually wash it," he shrugged.

She rolled her eyes, taking the box back into the bedroom and scowling. When she had first seen the house, she had rechecked the address at least five times to make sure they were in the right place. It was a tiny, weatherworn, one-bedroom Hellhole. At least that was Nozomi's first impression. It was confirmed when they walked inside and the smell of old person, cat urine, and fresh paint met their noses. Thankfully, they could do what they liked with it, though unfortunately that did not include blowing it up and getting a capsule house from Bulma. She opened the closet and groaned, seeing it was full of frumpy, musty, old-lady dresses, and a layer of dust on the floor that could only be described as hellacious.

"I hate this place!" she sighed, taking her box of shoes back out to the van.

When she came back in and grabbed another box, she gained Piccolo's full attention, "What are you doing?"

"Get off your ass and help, or so help me, when I torch this place, you're goin' down with it," she growled, not caring that she had sounding like an idiot as she picked up another box.

"You're not burning it down," he frowned, "Will you quit throwing your little spoiled temper tantrum and just deal with the fact that it wasn't what Tholi thought it was."

"Spoiled temp- There's a big difference in being spoiled and coming to live in somewhere that has a dead person's clothes in the closet like a nasty polyester sky over a forest of dust **elephants **and being angry about that fact!" she snapped, "Tholi said two bedroom, and that it was clean. There is one bedroom, and I am not entirely sure that there's indoor plumbing! Normally, I wouldn't have said anything, but throwing on a coat of paint in the living room does not a move-in ready house make."

"Are you finished?" he asked, "You're wasting time ranting when you could be cleaning."

"Pick up a box, and take it outside, and then repeat it until every one of them are in the back of that fucking truck. I'm going to a home improvement store and getting supplies to fix this little rat's nest, and the least you could do is that," she hissed, "I am not unpacking anything until I'm satisfied that this house is livable. If that means sleeping outside and living out of boxes until then, that's fine. But please just help me."

The last part was said through a clenched jaw, and he slowly got to his feet, "I'm only doing this so you'll shut up."

"Fine," she said, walking out and slamming the screen door, cursing loudly as it snapped off it's rusting hinges, "God dammit!"

xxxx

Piccolo sipped his warm water, just as miserable as Nozomi, but being silent about it. It was a sweltering day; unusual for the end of March, and they had learned that not only didn't the house have running water in anything except a toilet, but it also did not have reliable power. This discovery had come as Nozomi had arrived back from the Home Warehouse with her car overflowing with supplies, had flipped a switch in the bedroom to turn on the single, bare light bulb, and a section of the wall had begun to smoke.

That had started another yelling tirade, as she had to run outside to an old pump and pump a bucket full of water to bring back in and toss on the now blazing wall. Piccolo had simply came back in with the fire extinguisher she'd purchased, and had gained a glare and an eye twitch as he'd smugly handed it to her after he'd quelled the flames.

Now, she was up on the roof replacing shingles as a team of men rewired the house. She was in a foul mood, as they'd been without power for two days, and she'd been forced to go back to the supply store and buy a grill to cook on, and a barrel to heat water to bathe in. That, and because the men supposed to put in the new plumbing were two hours late. He heard her curse again and looked up to see her put her finger in her mouth before she threw the hammer, which embedded itself in a tree across the yard. She jumped off the roof, wiping the sweat off her brow and turning to look at him, her hair in a messy chignon and wearing a pair of short cut-offs, a sports bra, and a pair of bulky knee pads completing the look of one very pissed-off Nozomi Sensono.

She walked over to the pump, filled the bucket next to it, and poured it over herself, rubbing a hand over her face and neck, moving it lower to rub over her upper chest and shoulder, making him blatantly stare at her. Shaking the water out of her hair, she leaned down to take a drink straight from the pump, the shorts coming up to reveal the lower curve of her buttocks. He shut his eyes, forcing his pulse to slow and his breathing to even out, the now familiar pulling sensation in his groin making him even more uncomfortable as his mind replayed her actions. He suddenly fell to the ground with a hard thump, promising murder as he opened his eyes to see the object of his wanton thoughts smirking down at him with a now empty bucket in her hands.

"Thought you looked a little hot," she said silkily, "Figured you'd like to cool down a bit."

"I was just fine," he hissed, standing up and drying off with a power up, "I've killed for less you know."

She snorted, "You'd only kill me if it was a matter of life or death, not over something this stupid."

She punctuated that statement by throwing the bucket at him, "Besides, you dried yourself off. Admit you're cooler now."

"I'm not sweaty," he said, thinking over her terms of dying at his hands, noticing her eye roll, "What?"

"Can't admit when someone's done you a favor," she teased, drying herself off as she began feeling sticky again, "Honestly, there's no pleasing you."

"When are they going to be done?" he growled, looking at her profile as she turned her head.

"A few more hours," she said, "I suppose I should go get them something cold to drink. It's probably hotter in that . . . house."

He simply hummed, thinking if they wanted something to drink they should get it themselves, seeing her look at him with a slight smile, "What?"

"You want anything special while I'm out, you old grouch?"

"Since when am I old?" he growled, suddenly realizing she had him in a corner, "No, I don't want anything."

She shrugged, in the next few moments disappearing down the road. He went back to meditating, forcing the image of her bent over with his hands running up her lean back out of his mind.

xxxx

"There," Nozomi smiled, turning on the air conditioner and smiling as it blew over her, "Problem solved."

"Now you can clean," he said, flipping the lights on and looking around, "I think it smells worse than it did when we got here."

She looked around at the patched walls and the ceiling, heaving a sigh, "Well, that would be the mixture of smoke and b.o. on top of the other smells it had. At least we have light and now the air conditioner, and a heat pump coming later on in the week. Tomorrow I'll open the windows while I scour this place from top to bottom while that guy puts pipes in the kitchen. After I rip up this carpet, anyway. I think it's been here since carpet was invented."

"When do you start classes or whatever," he asked, thinking more of how much it would interfere with their training rather than being curious for her sake.

"Monday," was her huffed answer, "I've got five days to turn this shit-hole into a house so I can unpack and re-find my schedule and books. This is turning into the worst thing to happen to me in years. I really hope it's worth it in the end."

They were silent for a long time, Nozomi going around and getting the worst of the dust up while Piccolo went outside and stretched out on top of the truck, looking at the stars. He didn't know how long it was before she joined him, laying in the opposite direction with her head next to his.

"Do you ever wonder why you're here?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Because you're here, and I'm training with you."

She chuckled, "No, I mean do you ever wonder what your purpose in life is. The reason why you were born. What impact you're supposed to make."

He turned his head and looked at her, "No."

"Well, I guess you don't. I mean your purpose is obvious," she said, putting an arm under her head, "I guess you're the wrong person to ask. Tholi says everyone's life is loosely planned out when their born, that there isn't much that happens that isn't fate. That everyone is intertwined and woven into this elaborate tapestry, and that only the Gods know what the pattern is or will be. But, I haven't figured out why exactly I'm here. It's like . . . Like my thread has been cut and tied back together. Only, I can't remember when, how, why, or even what lead to it being cut. Do you believe in past lives?"

"No," he said, shaking his head, "Not as a general rule."

She rolled over and laid he head on her crossed arms so she was looking at him, "What's the Otherworld like?"

He turned and looked at her, "Like a big, long line at the DMV."

She laughed, watching him smile slightly before he looked up at the sky again, "I can't believe you just made a joke, even if it was unintentional."

They were silent again, and the next time he looked over at her, he saw she was asleep. Sitting up, he took off his cape and covered her with it after removing the weighted pauldrons.

xxxx

The bell was ringing as she parked her car, and she sighed, stepping out and reluctantly tossing her book bag over her shoulder. She was well aware she was late, which was exactly why she flipped the dutiful hall monitor off as she walked towards her first class, hearing the girl stuttering shocked and angrily behind her. Tossing the rest of the tea she had bought from Starluck's into a trashcan she passed, she heard the teacher checking attendance, rolling her eyes as she reached towards the knob.

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**Next Chapter:**

Nozomi meets an old friend, a new rival, and a new suitor all in one day. What a lucky girl! And what about Piccolo? How will he adjust to his newfound alone time? All this and more, next time on DBI!

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A/N: Now that you all know just what a dork I am, and are probably sick of filler chapters (which is what I consider this), we're getting to the interesting parts. If you can't tell, I'm changing names of real-life businesses to suit my needs. I like it; it makes me feel special since many manga writers do it. Anyway, I hope you liked it, I know I had fun as this helped me get through a recent illness without going insane(-er, XD). I realize that there might not be as much of a change in Nozomi as I thought, but we'll see. I think the problem is I've been distracted by another fandom, and writing/Rping with an OC for it, and she's rubbing off on me.


	37. Fast Times at Orange Star High

-1**Last Chapter:**

Nozomi dove into the world of home improvement, while Piccolo struggled to control his growing perversion, and both rediscovered the joys of stargazing.

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Gohan sighed as the teacher took roll, hoping the rest of the year wasn't going to be as trying as his first five minutes were. He heard the door open, but ignored it as he thought of the public humiliation and teasing he would have to endure because of the teacher's overzealous divulgence of his test scores. There was some excited muttering from around him, along with some catty whispering coming from Videl and Eraser, and he looked up when the teacher cleared his throat.

"It seems we have another new student," he said, dragging his eyes away from the short skirt the girl was wearing to look at the note, "Miss. . . Nozomi Sensono? The Nozomi Sensono?!"

Gohan's jaw dropped as he looked up and saw a familiar, snowy-headed girl. Well, she didn't look like a girl anymore, didn't even look like the girl he'd seen nearly a year ago. Her eyes met his and she gave him a silky smile, beginning to walk towards the seats.

"Last time I checked," she said in response to the teacher's question, her heels clicking in time to the sway of her hips as she walked, watching some of the boys trying to push their friends out of seats to make room, and a few girls giving her nasty looks.

She stopped next to Gohan's seat and put her finger under his jaw, pushing it closed, "Mind if I sit next to you?"

"Not at all," he smiled, scooting over so she'd have room as she pulled an unoccupied chair over, whispering to her, "You're late."

"Well, I guess I'm not as committed to my studies as you," she smiled, "I'm only here because I have no choice."

Gohan chuckled, glancing around and sighing at all the glares he was now getting, "I wish I had that choice too."

xx

"So, how's Goten and your mom?" she asked as they gathered their things to leave, "It's been a while since I've talked to you."

"They're fine," he smiled, noticing she'd gotten taller as they walked side by side. She was now taller than he was in her heels, "How about you? How's-"

"Hey there," Sharpener said, shoving Gohan out of the way and moving into his spot, "What's your name?"

"Unamused," she frowned, stopping to help Gohan up, giving Sharpener a cool look, "If you didn't hear it before, I'm not repeating it."

A short, dark-headed girl with blue eyes stepped directly in front of her, blocking her way, "So you're really Nozomi Sensono?"

"And you are?" Nozomi asked, not seeing Gohan nearly swoon behind her.

"She's Hercule Satan's daughter, Videl!" the perky little blond next to Videl said, "Her father's-"

"I know who he is," Nozomi said with an eye roll, as she stepped around them and kept walking, "He's an idiot."

"Nozomi," Gohan muttered, watching Videl's face turn a shade of red he'd only seen in a crayon box.

"What did you say?!" Videl screamed, reaching out to grab Nozomi's arm and clutching air as the taller girl turned at precisely the right moment to pull a piece of paper off her shoe, effectively avoiding the action.

"I said he was an idiot," Nozomi repeated, remaining blank as she noticed Videl was in front of her again, "He really needs to find better PR people."

"Sill miffed about them calling you out at the last women's tournament?" Videl asked scathingly, "My dad says you were clearly cheating, since there's no way someone your age could possibly win against people he trained."

"Maybe he's just a lousy trainer," Nozomi shrugged, "And I've been trained by the best since I could walk. Is there a point to this little girl, because I have a class to get to. I believe you do too. Hopefully it's Etiquette 101."

"I **figured **you'd be **snotty**," Videl said, crossing her arms, "I see I was right."

Nozomi raised a brow, "Funny, I was thinking that you were a complete bitch the moment I set eyes on you. Glad that we could both be right."

She turned to leave again, sidestepping to avoid a spill on the floor and watching Videl fly past her as she attempted to punch her, instead managing to collide with a row of lockers, "For the **great **Hercule's daughter, you sure are a klutz."

"I'm watching you," Videl said, "Just because you can dodge doesn't make you a good fighter."

Nozomi chuckled, wondering if the girl was really stupid enough to think she'd dodge such pitiful attacks, and saw they'd drawn a crowd, "And obviously being of fighting stock doesn't make you a fighter either. Gohan, I'll see you at lunch."

xxxx

"So how do you know Nozomi Sensono?" Sharpener asked, corning him outside the locker room after gym.

"We're old acquaintances," he said, "Her sensei used to fight with my dad."

"I still don't see why she'd associate with a geek like you," Sharpener continued.

"Well, I guess I can't answer that," Gohan said nervously, wondering if this day could get any worse.

"You're not dating are you?" the blond asked, giving him a threatening glare.

"What?! Me, date her?! NO! I- I've never- I mean- I DON'T LIKE HER LIKE THAT!!" Gohan said nervously, effectively freaking out for the second or third time that day.

Sharpener looked unconvinced, and then his mouth formed an 'O' before he shrugged, "I should have known you were **gay**."

"Well, you know, when- What?!" Gohan asked, "No, I'm not! Really, it's just-"

"It's okay, it's only natural for a wuss like you to be scared of women," Sharpener added, "But if I ever catch you looking at me in some fruity way, I'll pound your face-"

"He's not gay."

They both turned, and watched Nozomi scowl, the look on her face daring him to question her.

"Really? Well, he just said he didn't like you, that way," Sharpener said, giving Gohan a smug look.

"He doesn't," she said, "Anymore."

Gohan raised a brow, turning pink. _How did she know?_

"Really? What, he some obsessive fan of yours that you took pity on or something?"

"No, he dumped me," she said, shocking them both, "Didn't you Gohan?"

"Um- I mean- I- Well-" he began stammering.

She sauntered over to him, pouting her lips and looking pitiful, "I cried myself to sleep for months, thinking about how much I'd put you through. How I'd never get to feel your arms around me, or your lips against mine, ever again."

Gohan stared at her, wondering how exactly Piccolo lived with her and wasn't driven to distraction, or murder, as he saw her wink at him. _Mr. Piccolo must be some kind of saint_, "N-Nozomi."

"I couldn't stand the thought of you with another woman, so I transferred here," she continued, batting her long lashes, "And now I realize how wrong I was to think that you still loved me like I loved you if you can say things like that."

She burst into big, fake tears, throwing her arms around his neck, "Can you ever forgive me? I'll do anything you ask, be your slave, just forgive me for what I did!"

"What are you doing?" he hissed, watching the guys that were filing out of the locker room were stopping and getting the scoop from their friends, and Sharpener was watching it all with his jaw slack.

"Just play along. Tell me you can't, but that we can be friends," she whispered back between huge, melodramatic sobs.

"I- I can't do that," he said, pushing her away and almost reconsidering what he'd pretended to mean when he saw the tears falling from her widened blue eyes, "But, we can still be friends, I just can't be with you anymore. Like that."

She sniffed, pulling a handkerchief from between her cleavage and wiping her eyes, pouting at him again, "I guess it's for the best. Have lunch with me?"

"Sure," he smiled, hearing scrambling behind them as she took his arm and tossed the kerchief behind her onto the floor, making sure they were somewhat alone before he said anything else, "What was that about?"

"Giving you a little social boost," she smiled, "Though unfortunately it also made me a girl that'll be rumored to be vulnerable and on the rebound. Eh, I'm in an ass-kicking kind of mood today for some reason. Can't think of why."

"There you are!"

"Oh, it just came to me," she said dryly, turning around and seeing Videl standing there, "Are you referring to Gohan, or to myself?"

"You!" she snapped, shoving her finger in Nozomi's face, "I'm calling you out! Today after school at the baseball field."

"No," Nozomi said, "I have to meet with the man that's installing cabinets in my kitchen at fifteen after, so I'm afraid I really can't beat you to a pulp today. Maybe some other time, like when you get the stick out of your ass?"

Gohan pinched the bridge of his nose, suddenly wishing someone with more social skills than Piccolo had trained Nozomi. Obviously, it had led to her having an inability to be subtle and restrain her use of sarcasm.

"How about right now?" Videl growled, staring up at the taller girl.

"No, Gohan and I were about to have lunch," she said, "Besides, isn't it against the rules to fight in school? Not a very good example for Hercule Satan's daughter to make, is it? Imagine if it were leaked to the press."

She gave a falsely shocked gasp, "Oh my! What an embarrassment that would be!"

Gohan watched a smirk he'd never seen spread across Nozomi's face. It was maniacal. It was devilish. It was almost evil. Most of all, it was sexy as Hell.

"And it'd all be true," Nozomi had said the last part in a whisper that hinted at scandal, making Videl's face darken with rage.

"You better just watch your back," Videl finally said, stomping off with Eraser flouncing after her.

"If I don't kill her by winter, will you take me to dinner?" Nozomi asked, laughing as Gohan stared at her.

xxxx

Piccolo raised a brow, looking at the clock for the twentieth time, and heaved yet another sigh.

He actually missed her.

Scowling at the thought, he got up to get a glass of water, frowning as the faucet simply hissed at him. The water was still off where the new cabinets were coming in, so he went to the fridge and got a bottle of water, looking around the living room as he re-entered it.

She'd brought a few smaller pieces of furniture from the other house, though they were still large and imposing in the smaller space, making it look like something out of one of those stupid romance books Kosui kept sending. Not that he read them mind you, just that he'd opened one or two to see what was in them. The room looked stuffy and cramped, and he'd heard Nozomi talking with Tholi over the phone about getting new furniture. This was of course after she'd gone over the list of all the repairs that had been done, and what all was left to do.

He walked back to Nozomi's bedroom, looking around at the deep purple walls and up at the metallic bronze ceiling, down to the ebony silk of the sheets against the bronze and black mehndi patterned comforter. Strings of glass, silver, stone, and other beads dripped like icicles from the canopy of her bed, glinting in the sunlight coming in from the single, silk-draped window. The air was heady with a musky, spicy incense, and he felt there was a definite charge that lingered in the room

'_Are you in the middle of a harem?'_

"What? No!" he said aloud, "I'm in Nozomi's room."

'_Ah, I see. I only asked because that was what your senses were telling me,' _Nail chuckled, _'It must be some room. I wonder who she'll find to help her break in the sheets?'_

"Shut up," he growled, not in the mood to quarrel with Nail and be reminded that she'd be around other people that were more like her than him all day.

'_You certainly are on a hair trigger today. What's on your mind?'_

"Nothing," he replied, leaving the room and going outside, "I'm just thinking that this is a waste of time, and is interfering with her training."

'_Uh huh. Have you figured out that code of hers yet?'_

_No. It's . . . It's vaguely familiar, but I'm sure it's because it resembles Minami text, _he replied mentally, the long pause leading him to believe Nail was suddenly gone.

'_It looks familiar to you though?' _Nail asked, obviously trying to get him to figure it out, _'As in you should know how to decipher it?'_

Piccolo merely grunted, settling down to meditate in front of one of the trees surrounding the house. Nail had voiced what he had been trying to deny; that the text looked too familiar. Yes, Nozomi was intelligent, and had obviously based it off Minami cuneform, but he'd looked at the latter text she'd written and seen it had become different; sharper but somewhat rounder. He'd seen it before, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

xxxx

Nozomi held her pen in her teeth as she scrolled down the list of links, her eyes narrowing as she tried to find one to suit her purpose. Study Hall was proving to be somewhat beneficial after all. It gave her time to look at her notes from the Lookout without Piccolo standing over her shoulder. Clicking on a line of text, she sighed and began reading yet another theory on The Purging myth from the Higashi religion. Higashi was an offshoot of Minami, as were Kita, Nishi, and all of the other ancient religions. The ones that were most documented publically seemed to be Higashi, as it was the one with the least following. There was a struggling Higashi temple not far from Satan City, and she made a mental note to go there on a day when school was out that she'd 'forget' to mention to Piccolo.

There wasn't a lot of information, and there never was on any website she had found, but she was beginning to get small pieces that she could fit together later to make a whole. She leaned closer to the screen and unconsciously bit down harder on her pen as she read.

_According to myth, The Purging began due to the large amount of people that renounced the old gods, and began turning to self-love and more often, evil deeds. It was said that Solaria wept for months, and this supposedly caused the floods in the West and created the large swampland there, before she went before the Lord of Demons to ask for his help in punishing the people of Earth, as she couldn't bear to do it herself. _

_Together, they created the Eater of Souls, which they unleashed upon the Earth to cleanse the people who were not true of heart, sparing those that were followers of the gods and goddesses._

Nozomi frowned. This was obviously watered down, as she knew that the Gods wept for no one, and that no demon would readily agree to help purge all evil from the world. It also seemed unlikely that Solaria and the Lord of Demons, which she supposed was the Lord of Hell, would ever willingly work together for one gain.

The bell chimed that the period was over, and she logged off the computer, jotting down a quick series of notes before she went to her next class.

xxxx

"Open your damn eyes Namek!"

Piccolo did just that, narrowing them at Nozomi, who was standing nonchalantly in front of him, "What."

"I've been talking to you for about two minutes before I realized you hadn't heard a word I'd said," she frowned back, "Distracted much?"

"I was meditating," he replied back, "What do you want?"

"You know what, nothing. Capsule Corp. is only a short ways away. I think I'll just go see if Vegeta wants to train for a while," she said with a small smirk, knowing it was one way to get him going.

"Go right ahead. I'm sure he'd love to train with you," he said back, knowing there was no way in Hell she could get that stubborn Saiyan to agree to do anything beneficial to anyone but himself.

She blinked at him for a moment, and then shrugged, "Alright. I'll see you tonight."

He watched her walk into the house and emerge a few minutes later in her customary summer gi, growling to himself about what an idiot she was as she took off towards Bulma's. He should've just played along with her little game and sullenly stopped what he was doing to cater to her, which is what he knew she was expecting since he'd done it for years. He got down and went into the house, thinking that even if she did get Vegeta to cooperate, she was bound to come back half dead if not missing a limb or two. He spotted her book of coded notes lying on the couch with the other books that had been loosed from her book bag, and picked it up, flipping through it again.

xxxx

Nozomi landed in front of the enormous, dome-shaped building, and looked around for any sign of anyone she knew. A door slid open and two familiar forms came into view, one with mussed lavender hair that began running towards her at full speed, the other with well-groomed blue hair that just stood back with a motherly smile.

"Nozomi!" Trunks yelled, looking like he was going to tackle her once he got close enough.


	38. The First Indication is Denial

A/N: Sorry for the LONG hiatus. But, I have a good excuse. Several, actually. I moved out of state on a travel nursing assignment, moved again, found out I was pregnant, moved home, got another job, had a baby, and lost my job, got a new job that involves a state government agency, and just generally had a bunch of chaos. Phew! Oh, and add 4 computer crashes and loss of ALL of my work. Yeah. That's the main reason I haven't posted. All my writing is on hard copy, aka paper and pen. But, I'll be trying to update at least a chapter a month, if possible more. Except in December when the state survey crunch time is on. So, bear with me as I get back into the habit of writing, and just know that I am in NO way finished or going to let this story die without finishing it. I'll even try to work on my other two here and my other one at AFF. But anywho, back to the show!(Did I mention I've reread this series like 4 times and keep finding errors? I'm going to be fixing those.)

XXXXX

**Last Chapter**: Nozomi and Gohan have a rough first day of school, and Nail once again tries Piccolo's patience.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nozomi smiled and then raised a brow as she saw Gohan poke his head out of the door Bulma and Trunks had just exited, "Should I ask?"

"Please don't," Bulma said softly, "What brings you here?"

"Vegeta, actually," she replied, watching everyone but Trunks look at her like she was insane, "To see if he wanted to train with me."

"You sure about that?" Bulma asked, "I mean, Piccolo's tough and all, but . . . "

"Yeah Nozomi, he'd probably-" Gohan stopped at her look, "So, yeah . . . Thanks again Bulma, see you later Trunks. Uh, see you tomorrow Nozomi."

They watched him leave, and Nozomi turned to Bulma, "I didn't fly all the way here to get myself killed. If he doesn't want to train with me, that's fine, but I'm not afraid of him."

Bulma shrugged, "Your funeral. Code's 7256, and it'll pause his training program. Be prepared for him to be pissed off."

She hummed her thanks, mussing Trunks's hair as she walked past him, walking towards the rear of the lower level and hearing a low thrum from behind a sealed door. Punching the code into the keypad, the sound died slowly, and when the door opened there was a very irate Saiyan Prince on the other side.

"What the Hell do you want, and why did you interrupt me?" he growled, taken aback by how tall she was.

"Good to see you again too Ouji," she said, "I was wondering if you'd train with me."

"You and the Namek break up?" he asked, leaning against the door frame.

"No, he's just being an ass," she said, ignoring the implications of his statement, "You gonna train with me, or stand there asking me dumb ass questions?"

He snorted, "You wouldn't be able to handle this program. You'll slow me down."

"Try me," she said, eyes narrowing, "Aren't you a little curious? I know you can sense our power levels when Piccolo and I train."

"Not that impressive really," he said, looking bored.

"He won't let me power up completely. Something about raw power not being all that important," she said, only half lying. Piccolo didn't let her power up all the way, mostly because Nozomi had lost control at the Lookout and the resulting crater had taken Mr. Popo a week to fix it.

Vegeta's brow raised and she knew he was finally biting, "Besides, I'm sure that you've been dying to spar with someone other than one of those drones Bulma has in there. And other than Piccolo, what other choice do you have? Gohan hasn't trained in years, and no one else is even in our league."

"Assuming you're even in **my **league," he smirked, deciding it would be amusing to watch her bust her face, or better, her ass.

She smirked back, "We'll see."

He moved to the side, and she walked in, realizing it was much larger in the room than she had thought it would be. Vegeta walked over to the console and tapped a few buttons, hearing the gravity simulator kick back on. In less than a minute, the gravity shot up to 100 times normal, and he chuckled as Nozomi slammed into the floor.

"Still feeling confident?" he asked, watching the muscles in her arms strain as she struggled to push herself up.

Nozomi began powering up, slowly getting to her feet, not missing the momentary shock on Vegeta's face as her power level continued to climb, "Get ready to wipe that smirk off your face."

xx

Piccolo frowned, a dull ache beginning at the base of his skull, and realized there was just no getting around it, "Nail."

"_To what do I owe this occasion?" _Nail's amusement was painfully evident.

"Is there any way for us to share memories consciously?" he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"_I don't know about consciously. Have you considered the fact that you could translate the first part by comparing it to Minami and working from there as it progresses?"_

Piccolo blinked, "No, I didn't think of that."

"_Worth a try. I mean, unless you can figure out a way for us to split temporarily so I can assist you . . . "_

He sighed, "We can attempt it, but I don't think it'll be successful."

There was a loud crash outside that broke both their train of thought and he got up, opening the front door and seeing that Nozomi had crashed into the tree and broken one of the limbs.

"_I'll just leave you alone for a while."_

Piccolo cursed under his breath and walked over to her, surveying the damage, "I warned you."

"I'm fine," she groaned, "I flew into a bird, ok? Scared the shit out of me and I fell, end of story."

He chuckled, "Sure. And the fact that you're bloodied and battered had nothing to do with it."

"It didn't," she growled, pushing herself up and falling back. He offered her his hand and she took it, "Thanks. Seriously though, it wasn't Vegeta. Well, not directly. Actually, I guess it was directly."

"Are you getting to the point soon?" he asked, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her towards the house.

"Vegeta kicked me, I hit a sparring droid, and when I hit the wall, it exploded. I didn't take into account the amount of force it would generate at 100 times gravity, and there you go."

"You eaten anything?" he asked, knowing she'd heal by morning if she ate.

"Considering I was at a home with a Saiyan and his son, what do you think?" she asked, enjoying the feel of his hand on her leg.

"I think this would go easier if you'd just give me a simple yes or no answer," he said, depositing her on the couch, "Considering you don't look like you're in any shape to do anything more than sleep at the moment."

"Oh, are you going to cook for me P-sama?" she cooed, "You'd look so cute in my apron."

He growled under his breath at her, going into the kitchen and getting her a sports drink, "That'll be a cold day in Hell No-chibi."

She chuckled, catching the drink as he tossed it to her, "Glad you're in a better mood."

He raised a brow, wondering if she was going to tell him anything about how her training session had gone, and was beginning to get angry that she was paying more attention to her drink than to telling him anything.

"You look constipated."

"What?" he blinked at her.

"You look like you've got something up your ass. All-" she mimicked his expression, "What is it with you today?"

"I have no idea what you mean," he replied.

"Sure," she sighed, getting up and limping towards the bathroom, "I'm thinking of getting a freestanding gravitron from Bulma. What do you think?"

"What's wrong with how we've been training?" he asked, not wanting her to know he didn't want her to have anything to do with Vegeta.

"Nothing. I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I just thought it would be a nice change of routine about once a week," she turned to look back at him, "Good god Piccolo, how have you not tripped today?"

"Tripped?"

"Yeah, over your huge man-gina," she quipped, knowing he wouldn't get the joke.

He frowned, not knowing what she meant, but getting that it was an insult, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're being pissy today," she said, distractedly looking for a towel, "If I didn't know any better I'd think you were jealous of my spending time with Vegeta."

Piccolo stared at her, hearing Nail snort with laughter.

Nozomi laughed as well, "But we both know that's not the case, so whatever's up your ass I hope you find it and get it out."

He watched her walk into the bathroom, and sat down, rolling his eyes as he felt Nail's presence in the peripheral of his mind, '_What_?'

"_Are you jealous?"_

'_Why would I be jealous of Vegeta?'_

"_It was just a question Piccolo, you don't have to get snappy. I was just asking because you do seem to be a little jealous that Vegeta spent the whole afternoon and most of the evening with __**your **__No-chibi."_

'_She's not __**my **__anything,' _he mentally growled, shutting Nail out again, "Damn it."

xxxx

Nozomi raised an eyebrow as she heard everyone talking out the 'Great Saiyaman' at school, and smirked as Gohan came in, "So that's what you were up to at Bulma's yesterday?"

"Nozomi! Don't say anything," he hissed, "Please don't say anything."

"Like I would," she whispered, "Jeez Gohan, you really need to relax. You and Piccolo are being so jumpy lately. Piccolo I can see why, but you . . ."

Videl walked in and she watched Gohan flinch, and Nozomi raised a brow, "Ah."

"What?" he asked, his head jerking to the side.

"Nothing," she said, ignoring Videl's glare at the both of them, and then rolled her eyes at Videl's interrogation of Gohan over the Golden Haired Warrior and the Great Saiyaman.

Gohan was stammering, bordering on freaking out, and Nozomi chuckled, wondering how long it would take for Gohan to start screaming and run away.

xx

"So really Gohan, are you that afraid of her?" Nozomi asked candidly once they were at lunch, taking a bite of her rice.

"Who?" he asked, looking like he was ready to jump out of his skin.

"Seriously Gohan, are you on drugs, or do you need some? Because I don't remember you being this much of a spaz. You are obviously terrified of Videl for some reason, even though you could probably squash her flat. So what's up?"

He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head, "I have no idea what you mean."

She gave him a waning look, and sighed, "Whatever. When you stroke out I don't want to hear you complain about it."

"What are you doing over here eating with the nerd?" Sharpener asked, putting his tray down next to Nozomi, she and Gohan seeing Videl glare and Eraser look down her nose at them as they walked to an empty table.

"Well, if you hadn't sat down here, I wouldn't be," Nozomi said with a raised brow, "And your girlfriend over there looks pissed, why don't you go sit with her?"

"Who?" Sharpener looked over at Videl and Eraser, "Eraser's my cousin."

"Well, at least you're keeping it in the family," Nozomi smirked, hearing Gohan choke.

Sharpener looked at her for a moment, obviously not getting it, "Videl's not my girlfriend either. I was going to see if you'd like that privilege."

Nozomi frowned, "Privilege?"

Gohan sighed as she got up, wondering how he would possibly survive school with both Videl and Nozomi around. If one of them didn't kill him, the stress of worrying if they were going to might.

"For your information, it would be **your **privilege if I agreed to go out with you, because I'd be seriously lowering my standards," Nozomi said softly, "And another thing -"

His cell phone rang and he picked it up, making Nozomi stare at him in shock. She looked at Gohan, who shrugged, and then she picked up her lunch and jerked her head towards the doors. Gohan nodded and gathered his things, following her out of the crowded cafeteria.

"Can you believe that? Just when I knew exactly what I wanted to say," she fumed, turning on him, "And you!"

He froze, "Wha-"

"You better start talking, or you're gonna regret it. Why are you so terrified of Videl? And don't bullshit me," she growled.

He could see a lot of Piccolo in the way she was standing and her tone, and he sighed, "Because, I think she's close to figuring out who I am."

"What, Son Gohan? Pretty sure she knew that on day one," Nozomi scoffed.

"No, I mean I think she knows that I'm the guy that defeated Cell, and the guy that stopped those bank robbers the first day of school. If she finds out, she'll spill to everyone about my powers, and I'll never get any peace," Gohan said lowly, obviously distressed at the thought, "I mean, it's bad enough being the dork with the test scores. I don't want everyone finding out who I really am or who Dad is."

Nozomi raised a brow, "You realize that makes perfect sense and no sense, right? And if you're so worried, why are you running around the city playing super crime fighting guy?"

"Because then no one else has to get hurt," he looked at his feet.

"By no one, you mean Videl?" she asked, watching his head shoot up.

"I don't like her, ok?" he hissed, his cheeks turning red when Nozomi chuckled.

"Sure. Just do me a favor Gohan."

"What?"

"Invite me to the wedding," she joked, dodging out of the way as he threw a wadded piece of paper at her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Next Chapter: **Nozomi gets an early Christmas present from Bulma, and Gohan gets edgier. Will Piccolo figure out Nozomi's code? All this and more in the next installment of DBI!


	39. Gravity Rooms and Gym Class

**Last Chapter: **Gohan connects with his inner super hero, Nozomi connects with Vegeta, and then a tree limb, and Piccolo is trying to adjust to his feelings of jealousy.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Another two months found Nozomi and Piccolo falling into a particular pattern. Once a week Nozomi would leave for Capsule Corp. to spar with Vegeta, and Piccolo would sulk until she got home from school the next day. Of course, he wasn't alone in his sulking. He wasn't sure what went on at school, but everyday Nozomi would leave in a somewhat decent mood, and come home in one that Piccolo was finding harder and harder to ignore.

He'd asked her about what she was watching on the news one night, and had been surprised to see the Great Saiyaman on the TV, looking over at Nozomi's scowl and deciding it would be safer for him not to ask her about it. He had one day gotten up the nerve and patience to ask her about why she had a sudden change in mood, and after an hour could only make out that she used several four letter words in abundance. That, and he was still clueless as to the cause of it all.

He would have asked Gohan, but from her tirade he gathered that it would probably be pointless to ask him too. He guessed it had to do with that many teenagers being in one place at one time, which in turn seemed to make them moody and hysterical in varying stages. He felt sorry for anyone that had to deal with more than one of them.

At the moment he was sitting in his usual spot in the living room, and opened an eye to look at the clock. It was well after seven, and Nozomi was usually up and getting ready for school. He grunted as he got to his feet, and went to her room, debating on whether or not he wanted to ask her anything about school after the last time he had.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to take the plunge and knocked, hearing a low groan. Rolling his eyes, he opened the door, seeing she was still in bed. One long leg was stuck out from under the comforter, and he raised a brow, "Nozomi."

She grunted again, pulling a pillow over her head.

"Nozomi," he said, leaning against the door, "You're going to be late."

"thenoskoday," was the grumbled reply.

"I can only hear well, not translate gibberish," he said, watching her turn and glare at him, her hair all over the place and bags under her eyes.

"There is no school today," she said slowly, "I was trying to sleep in. Between homework, training, and stress, I - am - exhausted."

"Well, you look definitely look it," he said, seeing a flash of hurt in her eyes, "Do you have to do your homework?"

She chuckled, "I wish no. But, it would be pointless to go to school if I didn't."

He didn't tell her he thought that would be a good idea. He didn't want to add fuel to that fire yet, "Then what would you suggest?"

"Is there anyway we can streamline training?" she asked, getting up and stretching, glad she'd actually worn pajamas.

"How would you suggest that?" he pointedly kept his eyes on her face.

"Well, we can either spar using our ki, or I can ask Bulma for a gravity room," she replied, knowing he wouldn't go for that, "Of course, I figure I'll only have to train in it once a week to get the benefit of it, and that way I can train in it for eight hours on Saturday, and four hours with you Monday through Friday."

"And Sunday?" he asked.

"Homework," she sighed, "It's set every week on Monday, and due the following Monday. I can do it all in one day if I have to."

He thought about it, "It's up to you. But, if you start regressing, I'm not going easy on you."

"Sure," she shook her head, "I give it 4 months and you'll be singing a different tune."

He chuckled, "You've said that before."

"Well, I mean it this time," she countered, moving past him towards the kitchen.

xxxx

"Just hit this button to un-encapsulate it, and punch in the key code. I know Vegeta's shown you the controls on ours, so I set the console up the same way. Except I added an additional playback sound system so you could play music. Oh, and no droids," Bulma said, showing her the workings of the portable gravity room.

"Thank you," Nozomi said, hearing the loud 'bomf' as it encapsulated into a two inch long cylinder.

"And I added the data transfer system as a safety feature since I won't be there to check it. Every other day it'll send me an update on all the systems so I know if there is anything I need to fix. That way we can hopefully head off errors as they happen and not have a huge one."

"I'll try not to blow myself up," she chuckled, knowing what Bulma was worried about.

"Vegeta wasn't trying to either, but he did," she sighed, "And I've seen Piccolo angry, and would rather not have it directed at me, so if at all possible, don't."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nozomi replied, putting the capsule in her pocket, "Thank you again Bulma."

"No problem, just don't get yourself killed," she said, rolling her eyes as she heard a door slam.

"Woman! Where are my clothes?"

"Good luck with that," Nozomi chuckled, going out the door and taking off, hearing Bulma begin screaming back at Vegeta before she got out of earshot.

xxxx

"So did the Great Saiyaman took a holiday too?" Nozomi asked, watching Gohan actually give her a dirty look, "What?"

"Some girl named Angela knows my secret," he hissed, "I have to take her on a date this week."

"Oh god no," she gasped sarcastically, "Heaven forbid you actually do something like that. How will you ever survive?"

"I'm serious Nozomi!" he growled, watching her roll her eyes, "This is a big deal to me."

"Right, because it would be just horrible to go on a date with someone, wouldn't it?" she growled back, "It's probably a bluff Gohan, did you ever think of that? You might want to find out what 'secret' it is, because I bet it's not what you think."

"Are you jealous?" he asked, watching her cheeks darken, "I thought you and Mr. Piccolo-"

He stopped at the look she gave him, surprised when she slammed her book closed and turned away from him, ignoring him the rest of class.

xx

"Did I say something wrong?" Gohan asked, catching up with her after the bell rang, wondering how she walked so fast in high heels, "Nozomi!"

She stopped and spun around, calming down when she saw the concern on his face, "No, you didn't Gohan, I'm sorry. It's just- You wouldn't get it."

"Try me," he said, both of them walking more slowly towards the gym.

"I go from having everyone up my ass for one reason or another at school to practically being ignored at home unless Piccolo and I are training," she said, "It's just kind of- I don't know."

"I doubt Mr. Piccolo ignores you," he smiled, "I mean, I doubt you all sit around and have deep, philosophical talks."

She chuckled.

"But I'm sure he doesn't ignore you. And if he does, you know more than I do that he's just like that. He's all business most of the time. Though I will say he seems more relaxed than he used too," he said honestly, "And I guess I haven't paid attention to how much goes on here either. Like how that girl knocked your lunch off the table last week, or that guy threw your books in the floor."

"No, you're usually looking at Videl, and whatever she's doing, or looking around for her," Nozomi smirked, nudging him with her shoulder, "When are you going to admit you're carrying a torch for her?"

"I'm not!" he said frantically, waving his hands in front of him and watching Nozomi quickly stop them from falling in the floor, watching one of her eyebrows raise, "She just makes me so nervous. I don't think it has to do with me liking her or not liking her as much as it does her interrogating me and threatening me."

"Like she could make your life any worse than you having fantastic test scores can," she sighed, "Honestly, get over it Gohan. She's just a girl. One either one of us could easily pick up and snap in half if we really wanted too. She's not the Boogeyman."

"So you don't like Mr. Piccolo that way?" he smirked, deciding to catch her off guard.

She tripped on one of her feet, and only him grabbing her kept her from falling into the floor, "What?"

"I know you heard me," he said, helping her up.

He watched several emotions pass over her face, before she suddenly went blank, "I don't know what you're talking about."

It shocked him, "I asked you if you liked Mr. Piccolo more than I think you do."

Her eyes narrowed, "He's my sensei, that would be improper."

The look on her face and her tone made him falter, "It's just a question Nozomi."

"And the answer doesn't matter," she muttered, walking ahead of him, leaving him staring after her.

xxxx

Piccolo opened his eyes and watched her walk past him into the house, heaving a sigh. The look on her face told him he'd be better off leaving her alone for at least half an hour. He hated to agree with Nozomi, but this didn't seem to be benefiting her in the least. Unless a benefit was to have her sullen and pissed off all the time.

She emerged again a few minutes later in her gi, and headed into the gravity room, making him heave a sigh. She'd been doing that more often lately too. He wasn't sure why, but he was fairly sure it had started over a month prior after she'd told him Gohan had been blackmailed into going on a date with someone. He'd told her he was glad she wasn't stupid enough to have something like that happen to her, and the resulting argument had ended with a vicious sparring match that had seen both of them spending the night outside on the ground bloody and ragged.

He didn't understand why she'd been so upset, but he did understand that she was upset by something that she wasn't telling him about. Not that he was asking. Looking around, he stood, rolling his shoulders and feeling a bead of sweat roll down his spine. It was almost January, and it was still sweltering. He hated to admit it, but he missed their old house.

_Our old house? _he frowned, closing his eyes.

Mulling it over, he realized that he'd been around her nearly constantly for nearly 6 years. Up until recently, she'd been a pleasant fixture in his normally bare life. He wanted it to be like it was when they were at the farmhouse, but knew that Nozomi had to at least stick it out the rest of the school term. Everything he tried to get her to talk to him, which he found very ironic, only seemed to make her angrier. He'd tried giving her space before, and that too had backfired. He was at a complete loss, and didn't even know who he could ask about it without it sounding ridiculous.

The door creaked shut behind him as he walked into the cool interior of the house, and he took off his cape and turban, tossing them in the floor in his usual spot. He walked into the kitchen and over to the fridge, opening it up and staring. It was nearly bare. Completely unlike her, and it was shocking to him. He grabbed a water and closed the door, seeing a long list labeled 'We Need', and looking over it. It never occurred to him that he hadn't seen her carrying any groceries into the house, and he had to think hard to remember when he'd last seen her cooking anything.

With a growl, he went back outside and climbed the steps of the gravity room, banging on the door.

x

Nozomi stumbled, barely catching herself as she heard a loud pounding from the other side of the door. Turning off the simulator, she opened the door, raising a brow as Piccolo frowned at her, "What?"

"You're taking a night off," he said, "Go get changed, you need to go shopping."

"Who are you, and what have you done with Piccolo?" she asked, never thinking that combination of words would come out of his mouth.

"I'm serious. Go look in the kitchen and tell me you don't need to," he said, turning and walking away.

"Alright then," she said, following him into the house.

xx

Nozomi smiled, leaning back on the couch with a satisfied sigh as she nursed on a beer, "I'd forgotten how good homemade food was."

Piccolo chuckled, "At least you're not frowning anymore."

"Thank you," she said, watching him open his eyes and look at her, "I guess I've been a little preoccupied here lately."

They stared at each other for a few moments, and she looked away first, "Are you sure you're not going to enter the World Tournament?"

"I'm sure," he replied, "I'm too-"

"If you say old I'm going to punch you," she signed, shaking her head, "I know you're fused with a guy that was like, a thousand years old, but really? You are not old Piccolo. You can't tell me you **feel **that old."

"Sometimes I do," he said, seeing her give him a disbelieving look.

"Then you need this more than me," she said, handing him the rest of the beer and going to get another, watching his nose wrinkle, "It's not that bad."

"Tell me why I should?" he asked, smelling it.

"Because I gave it to you, and because you need to relax," she said, poking his leg with a well-manicured toe, "Old man."

He chuckled, swatting her foot away, "Just this once."

She grinned, leaning over and knocking her bottle against his, "To your asshole unclenching a millimeter."

"Are all women as vulgar as you?" he grinned, taking a drink and grimacing.

"I'm just extra special," she quipped, downing half of hers in one go, "You know you love it."

He shook his head, leaning back against the front of the couch as she turned on the TV.

x

"_Once again, the Great Saiyaman saves at least four lives today at a-"_

"I can't believe Gohan and that crazy get up," Nozomi sighed, staring bleary-eyed at the TV.

Piccolo had moved to sit next to her, both of them with their feet up on the coffee table, "Where did he even get that?"

"Bulma, of course,' she scoffed, "It encapsulates into a watch. Pretty ingenious really. But, you ought to hear his little catch phrases. He's so after school special."

Piccolo was obviously turning that phrase over in his mind, "I might have actually understood that."

She laughed, looping her arm in his, "Well good, because I'm not explaining it. I'm too tired to."

Yawning, she laid her head on his bicep, "Can I stay home tomorrow? I really, really hate it here."

"I know," he said, sympathizing with her, "But you can't miss class."

"But after tomorrow we're on winter break," she whined, moving to sit on her knees at his side and pout, "Please?"

He gave her waning look, "No, No-chibi."

"Please P-sama?" she wheedled, hugging his arm, "I'll be good."

"I doubt that," he snorted, enjoying the warmth of her skin.

She smirked, giving him a look that he didn't entirely dislike, "Please P-sama?"

"If I say yes, what do I get?" he asked, surprising them both.

"What do you want?" she asked, moving in closer, one of her brows raised provocatively.

"You really want to know?" he asked lowly, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Mmhmm," she hummed, leaning in closer and looking through her lashes at his face.

"Sure about that?" he murmured, unconsciously leaning towards her.

She brushed her lips against his, gently kissing him, "Name it."

"How about you not say a single word for one whole day?" he grinned, feeling her stiffen against him.

She fell backwards dramatically like she'd been shot, "Oh how could you! Anything but that!"

He chuckled, pulling her back up, "How about it?"

"Fine," she sighed, throwing her legs over his as she flopped backwards, "But not tomorrow. Some other day."

"Agreed. But you can't whine when I cash in," he chuckled, gripping one of her ankles and stroking it with a thumb.

"Okay," she sighed, looking back up at him, "Thank you Piccolo."

"You've said that already," he smiled, yawning and looking up at the ceiling before he closed his eyes.

"It bears repeating," she smiled back.

xxxx

"I miss the snow," Nozomi sighed, fanning herself as she stood next to Gohan at gym the next day.

Despite getting him drunk and trying her best to weasel out of it, Piccolo had still insisted that she attend classes that day. Though he had sent her out of the house with an unceremonious slap to her backside, chuckling as she turned her pink face back to look at him.

"It is hot today," Gohan agreed, wishing they were somewhere private so he could tell her about the results of his 'date' with Angela since she seemed to no longer be in whatever bad mood she'd been in for the past few months.

Nozomi looked sideways at him, raising a brow, "You want to talk about something?"

"How did you know?" he asked, staring at her.

"You get this look on your face when you're thinking too hard," she replied, seeing Videl was leaning forward and watching them, "Considering who I live with Gohan, you're not exactly that hard to read."

He chuckled, watching her smile, "How is Mr. Piccolo?"

"Same old, same old," she shrugged, "He's been giving me space up till yesterday. I think I scare him on a good day."

"And on a bad day?" Gohan asked, the thought of Piccolo being afraid of Nozomi not at all unbelievable.

"We'll just say I'm glad he's a patient man," she smirked, turning with the rest of the class and beginning to walk on the track, "So once we get running let's find a spot by ourselves in the pack and you talk. Because I know you have a very busy schedule. Unless you want to use study hall to gossip."

"And how would you suggest getting a spot by ourselves?" he asked, watching her smirk.

The teacher blew their whistle and she started running, calling over her shoulder, "Figure it out slow poke!"

Gohan sighed and began running after her, knowing they could both run much faster, but they were both still passing almost everyone. She seemed determined to blow both their cover, even after the fiasco during baseball the first of the year. He caught up with her and they slowed to an even pace, far ahead of everyone else.

"Spill it," she said, thinking to herself that perhaps she needed to do this more often.

"Nothing really to tell," he replied, watching her give him a cross look, "We went to the amusement park, and when it was all said and done, all she knew was I wear teddy bear underwear."

"You have really got to do your own shopping Gohan," she laughed, "I mean, you know, it would probably save you a little social embarrassment."

"I know, but you know Mom," he sighed, both of them slowing down at the sound of the whistle blowing again.

She nodded, thinking it was a good thing that Chi Chi seemed more willing to let Goten be a little boy. When she had told Piccolo that Chi Chi was actually training Goten, Piccolo had spit water all over her, "Where does she think you are while you're out running around anyway?"

He blushed, "Doing homework with you."

"Nice of you to tell me now! I'm glad she hasn't tried to call me about it. Good god Gohan, really?" she said, looking shocked.

"I know, I'm sorry," he looked genuinely contrite, "But I had to tell her something."

"You owe me," Nozomi hissed good-naturedly, wanting to goad him, "You can start by admitting you like Videl."

"WHAT! WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?" he screamed, sweat dropping when everyone looked over at them, and then loudly whispering, "Why do you keep going there?"

She smirked evilly, "Maybe I just like watching you have a coronary."

The whistle blew again and she took off, leaving him staring after her.

xxxx

Nozomi stretched, pulling on the black silk pants and choli, looking out her window at the moon. She couldn't take it anymore, she had to get out. The more she sat in her room, the more restless she became, and she'd rather risk Piccolo's ire from sneaking out than risk throwing herself at him and being rejected.

She pulled on her gloves and her boots, and grabbed her two wakizashi, and slipped out her window into the night. She inhaled deeply, feeling her pulse thump in her ears as she strapped the two swords to her back in their modified harness, running into the woods.

Next Chapter: Nozomi begins resorting to old habits, Gohan gets blackmailed again, and Piccolo begins to decode Nozomi's notes.


	40. The Heat Is On

Last Chapter: Nozomi gets a little quality time with Piccolo, a new gravity room, and a new perspective on Gohan.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Piccolo raised a brow, feeling Nozomi's power level moving farther from the house, and sighed. He was hoping they'd make it through this whole ordeal without her starting that again, but obviously it wasn't going to be. He debated on going after her, but given her increased training schedule as of late, he figured she could handle herself. Turning back to the copies of notes he had made from Nozomi's notebook, he began looking them over again.

"_Any luck?"_

"Four letters," he replied, "Of course this is all assuming she's not using any kind of system for vowel combinations."

"_I'm impressed," _Nail smirked, thinking Nozomi had probably grossly underestimated Piccolo's level of intelligence.

Piccolo chuckled, "Don't be. Minami uses a system of symbols just for vowel combinations, as does several other ancient languages. I have A, E, H, and T figured out, but only because they're the most commonly used ones. And again, this is all assuming she's not translating into Minami dialect. If she is then what I've translated is useless."

"_But you know Minami."_

"But she didn't write this in Minami, or I could read it. She based it on Minami, but it appears she didn't translate it further than text. She probably didn't think I'd bother to try to figure it out," he said, "We can add N to the list."

"_Then why bother with the cuneiform at all if she thought you wouldn't look? It's all a little . . . odd. Especially for Nozomi."_

"That's why I'm doing this," he said softly, something nagging him in the back of his mind.

xx

Nozomi fought back a sneeze, wondering who was talking about her, and sniffed. There was something coming, and it reeked. There was a dank smell to it, like a swamp. Under that was the familiar smell of death and decay, and she felt her skin crawl. There was a loud rustling, and four deer ran past her, obviously panicked, and then she felt the slight tremble in the ground. Whatever was coming, it was big.

Jumping into a tall tree, she covered her nose with her wrist, the smell getting stronger. She heard a soft guttural sound, the trees ahead swaying as something moved through them, and she began trying to remember if she knew of anything that it could be. Something shrieked, and she heard a crunching sound, the trembling steps resuming again and reverberating up the tree trunk. Reaching to her waist, she flipped her thumb against the tsuba of her right hand sword, her eyes narrowing as what was advancing finally came into view.

She had to stare at it a moment, trying to get over how odd of a creature it was. It was massive, at least the size of a mature Tyrannosaurus, but it looked like an amalgam of several species. Its eyes looked like they were from a hammerhead shark, but the rest of the head looked like a rhino, with two tusks protruding from it's large maw. There was also half a large mountain lion hanging from its jaws, but she dismissed it as she looked at the rest of it. Its body was similar to a crawler, except its hide was smooth and wrinkled. Its forelimbs ended in three claws, its rear limbs resembled an elephant's, and its spine bowed up near the shoulders, making it hunched.

It swallowed its small meal in one large gulp, and began sniffing, the sound of its inhalations wet and loud. She knew it could smell her, and she crouched, watching its head turn towards her. Its eyes were apparently only quasi-functional, as it appeared to look right at her at one point but continued to scent the air. It bellowed, obviously trying to flush her out, and then snorted, moving off into the night.

_Wonder where that thing hides when the sun comes up_, she pondered, knowing it was probably the largest non-sentient demon she would ever see. It seemed fairly harmless, and she figured you could say crawlers were harmless given the right situation. Dropping back to the ground, she continued towards the Higashi ruins, which had been her original destination.

She knew she should be going in the daytime, when the risks of running into low-level demons was minimal, but then she would have to either skip school, or explain to Piccolo what she was doing skipping out on training. Besides, she could have blasted through even that leviathan sized monstrosity with ease. That, and the Higashi ruins were at least a thousand years old, and any remnant of spiritual energy should have been long gone. _Unless there's a holy relic_, she warned herself, but brushed that thought away. Even in its prime, Higashi was one of the lesser practiced offshoots, and if it wasn't for the fact the temple was the beginning of the Path of Ancients, it would have been forgotten centuries ago. Its failure, she surmised, was more than likely due to the fact that while Higashi's main deity was Solaria, it was largely a polytheistic religion, and was overly complicated and rigid.

The hair on the back of her neck raised and she paused, turning her head and seeing a pile of crumbling rock. Going to it, she pulled a few clinging vines away and saw it was an obelisk. She touched the fading carvings of the inscription, and raised a brow. There were other characters carved into the original ones, and as she tried to read them with her fingertips, she could barely make them out. With a sharp gasp, she pulled her hand back, and began picking up the broken pieces and fitting them back together. Once it was done, she held up her hand, a small sphere of white ki illuminating the flimsy spire.

"A negation spell?" she whispered, the light snapping out, "Hmm."

Moving further into the perimeter of the temple ruins territory, she heard a low cackling, and threw her hand up in the air. A radius of twenty feet exploded with light, and she watched the four crawlers flinch and begin slinking away. She thought she saw a glint near the neck of one of them, but continued forward, coming to another obelisk. This one appeared to be newer, another puzzling anomaly. Also confusing was the material it was made of, and the carvings on it.

"Alabaster? This would have been in the sanctum, not outside. And definitely not with carvings in it," she tested it with a nail and it gave readily, "Gypsum alabaster at that. Let's see what this one says."

She leaned closer, her frown deepening when she saw that the cuneiform on it was neither Higashi, nor Minami. She traced one of the symbols, thinking it was familiar to her when she felt something behind her, and spun around.

"I didn't mean to startle you."

Nozomi's eyes narrowed as she stared at the old woman, who by all accounts would have been labeled a hag, "Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same question," she replied, closing one wrinkled eye and turning her head, "What are you doing here in the dark?"

"Looking," Nozomi replied, wondering how the woman had gotten past the crawlers unscathed. The paper lantern she was holding wasn't enough to keep them away on its own.

"Ah, yes. But for what? To what question were you looking for the answers to?" she chuckled darkly, "No one ever came to see old Yaga in the dark. Not even in the day for at least fifty years now."

"And why's that?" Nozomi asked, still tense.

Yaga sighed and squatted to the ground with a grunt, her joints popping, "People here have forgotten the old Temple, the old Ways. And you know why no one comes at night. Otherwise you wouldn't have those swords."

She raised a brow, "But you're here. Nothing's bothering you."

The old woman grinned and cackled. Nozomi saw she only had three teeth, "I have ways of keeping things from getting me."

She tapped the slim rectangle of wood hanging from the bottom of the lantern, "One of these things and nothing will come near you."

Nozomi raised a brow, looking at the small piece of wood skeptically, "Hmm."

"Come now, what are you looking for? You can't be dressed like that and just out for a stroll," Yaga laughed again.

"I was just looking is all. It just happens night is the only time I have, well, time," she replied, not revealing anything important.

"I suppose the young people today are very busy. They always are," she said, starting to get up and struggling with it.

Before she could stop herself, Nozomi went to help her up, placing her hand on the woman's arm. Yaga gasped and jerked as though she had been shocked, and Nozomi jerked in reaction, her eyes wide, "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

Yaga stared at her for a moment before she smiled, "Oh no, my hip just gave way child. It's quiet all right. I'm not as spry as I used to be."

"Will you be alright? Do you need help?" Nozomi asked, the gentler part of her nature getting the best of her.

"No, no child. You better get home before the moon reaches its zenith. I was just coming out to gather some hemlock, but it can wait," the hag said, waving her hand, "Go on now. If you want to come back, you come when there's light out, when it's safer."

Nozomi looked confused, but she didn't resist, and turned to leave. This trip had raised more questions than it had answered, and she waited until she was out of line of sight before she jumped into the air, deciding to fly back to the house.

Yaga watched her keenly as she took off, a slight growl to her right making her lift her hand as something pushed its muzzle under the gnarled fingers, "Interesting."

x

Piccolo opened the door of her room, sighing in exasperation when he saw she still wasn't there. He inhaled again, closing his eyes as her scent filled his senses. It stirred a part of him he hadn't paid any attention to for so long, and he didn't find it completely unwanted anymore. There was no longer any use in denying to himself that he desired her, or even that his feelings for her went deeper than he would have liked. Both had blindsided him, and he had decided the faster he got used to the idea, the faster he could get over it. Part of him didn't want to get over it, was willing to take the inevitable rejection, but the other half of him wanted to stay safe.

'_You know you can't expect her to be satisfied with things the way they are."_

_Why not, I am._

'_No, you're not. You can't truly believe you are?"_

_Why? _

'_Because I feel the way you react when you touch her, when you hear her voice, when you smell her scent. I know you want more, and I think she wants more.'_

_Nail, just_- he paused, feeling her ki signature in the front yard, and turned, watching her walk in the front door. He hoped he didn't look as shocked as she did, and he fought a chuckle, knowing she hadn't meant to come in the front.

"Where were you?" he asked, looking at her outfit and her swords.

"I just went for a walk Piccolo. I didn't go too far," she replied, feeling uneasy, "I didn't think you'd miss me."

"You shouldn't be going out at all," he said, his relief and amusement giving way to annoyance, "One day I might not be there to save you."

She gave him a look he didn't fully understand, and he was caught off guard at her nonchalant shrug, "Maybe I don't need you to save me anymore."

He snorted, "I doubt that. You're forgetting yourself again."

"Give the big, macho bullshit act a rest alright?" she snapped, "Piccolo, I'm more powerful than anything out there and you know it."

"It's not about power," he growled back, "And until you finally wrap your head around that little bit of information, you are **not **more powerful. You were more powerful than Shomentsu, and you still got yourself-"

She saw his face cloud over with the memory of that night, "I'm not a little kid Piccolo, and I do actually learn from my mistakes. Trust me."

"Where did you go?" he asked, watching her sigh tiredly.

"Just out in the woods Piccolo, honestly," she said, and was glad it really wasn't a lie. She really hadn't been at the Temple, hadn't been within 500 yards of it before she met that strange old woman.

"You going to keep doing this?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Probably," she shrugged, "I'm not going to get hurt."

He grunted, turning his head to look at her as she moved past him.

"Not that you'd be any use if I did," she teased, "I've been gone three hours and you're just now noticing? Tsk tsk, P-sama."

"I knew the moment you left. I felt you coming back and wanted to see the look on your face when you climbed back in that tiny window and saw me standing here," he said, watching her look at him out of the corner of her eye over her shoulder. He loved when she did that.

The corner of her mouth twitched up, "Sure P-sama. I'm sure you weren't taking an old man nap the whole time."

He chuckled, "Not the entire time."

She laughed, "Goodnight Piccolo."

xxxx

Nozomi looked herself over in the mirror, and frowned slightly at her amulet, "Well, unfortunately, this doesn't go at all."

She took it off and hung it from the top of one of the bedposts, feeling odd without it. _Well, I've worn it constantly for years now, I should feel weird without it. _She put on a long silver necklace with a purple lotus and turned to her hair, the frown back in place.

x

Piccolo raised a brow, feeling a shift in Nozomi's ki signature. It was subtle, and he doubted anyone else would have noticed, but it was there. He watched her walk out of her room and raised a brow at the form fitting black dress and strappy sandals. She caught him looking and cocked her head to the side, striking a pose.

"You like?"

He sighed, "It's just not what I was expecting you to wear to school."

"It's a sundress Piccolo, and the weather here is unreasonably hot. Besides, it covers everything," she said, dismissing his comment with a wave, "Not like anyone's going to look so who cares."

He raised a brow, and his eyes followed her as she walked out of the house, trying to figure out that little, barely perceivable shift.

xx

By midmorning Nozomi felt excessively warm, and she realized with abject horror that this was not an unfamiliar warmth. She shifted in her seat, the feeling of the soft jersey material of her dress against her skin only adding to the heat. A fine sheen of sweat was beginning to appear on her body, and she became acutely aware of Gohan sitting next to her. He smelled earthy, masculine, and she bit her lip as a shiver of pleasure and desire coursed through her. She was also aware of another side effect, and hoped miserably that Gohan wouldn't notice.

Pencil pausing, Gohan glanced over in Nozomi's direction as she shifted again, wondering what was wrong with her. For a moment, he thought she had to use the bathroom, until he inhaled. A jolt went through him, and he gulped, tightening his grip on the flimsy piece of wood and carbon in his hand. Stealing a quick glance over, he saw Nozomi was sweating, and her breathing seemed labored. Hastily, he scribbled something in the margin of his notes and shoved them at her, watching her hand shake as she pulled them over.

'Are you ok?'

Her hand was unsteady as she replied and shoved it back, 'I think I'm sick. I feel feverish.'

He quickly scrawled his answer and pushed the paper towards her, both of them jumping as their hands brushed, 'You don't look good. Maybe you should go see the nurse.'

Nozomi swallowed, a feat that proved difficult with her now parched throat, and nodded. Fighting a groan as her dress rubbed against her now diamond hard nipples, she quickly grabbed her books and paper and rushed out. Gohan realized his breathing was beginning to come faster, and quickly calmed himself down, hoping the railroad spike he was sporting would go away before the end of class. He glanced to his right and saw Videl staring at him curiously, and shrugged. He mouthed, 'I think she's sick', and Videl nodded.

x

She ran to her locker and threw her books in, and then out of the school, thankful that it was winter and she could get cool before she went home. Bursting out of the doors, she groaned, forgetting that the low temperature was going to be in the mid eighties that day. Gods and demons she hated it here. She was beginning to feel dizzy, and she swayed out of sight and then took off. There was no way in the Nine Hells she was going to walk in this blistering heat feeling like she was. She was going home as fast as possible and dousing herself in water from the spring, provided this fucked up weather hadn't warmed it too.

x

Piccolo felt her land, and opened an eye, the other following suit when he saw her. She was drenched in sweat, swaying as she walked, and her eyes were hooded. He started to go and help her, until he watched her take her shoes off and throw them, her dress following suit.

"What the-"

He watched her go to the pump and get a full bucket of frigid spring water and dump it over her head before she leaned against it, panting. Concern flooded him and he moved towards her, "Nozomi?"

She shuddered when she heard his voice, the sound sending a bolt of pleasure straight to her core, "What?"

Her voice sounded pained, like her throat was dry, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she lied, thinking of something to say, "Flu maybe."

He raised a brow, "Then get inside and get in bed. Don't stand out here half naked with cold water all over you."

He stared at her as she finally looked at him, the look in her eyes making him want to grab her and shove her against a tree, ill or not. She pushed her hair out of her eyes, and nodded, moving past him and into the house. She set the thermostat on sixty, and went into the bathroom and turned the water on cold. It did nothing to quench her desire as the water hit her oversensitive flesh, and she rubbed her hands over her skin, fighting to keep silent as they slipped down over her belly.

xxxx

She tossed and turned on the bed, utterly exhausted but unable to sleep with the incessant throb coursing through her whole body. For six days she'd been confined to her room and the bathroom, only daring to go out to get food or water in the fear she would jump on Piccolo the moment she saw him. This heat didn't seem to be going away, no matter the measures she went through to try to abate it. She'd tried nearly everything, including herbal remedies. Her room reeked of her scent, and she didn't know how much more of this she could take. Her schoolwork was getting behind, and her training was getting behind. Something Piccolo wasn't fully aware of since she'd spent most of the day before in the gravitron, but only because she knew it was soundproof. She tried not to think of the hours she had spent writhing on the floor thanks to the use of wild yam, which had only intensified her problem. Luckily, Piccolo hadn't bothered her, for which she was eternally grateful to every deity she had ever heard or read about. Not that she wouldn't mind the chance to persuade him help her out of this situation, but that would create complications. Then again, she could probably be over and done before he realized what was going on given how sensitive she was.

_Am I actually considering what I think I'm considering? _she asked herself, _Am I actually considering going in the living room and taking advantage of my sensei? Oh that is such a fucking clichéd fantasy. Oh, but I bet it'd be so damn good._

She groaned, rolling over to her stomach and putting the pillow over her head, praying it would end soon. She heard the door open and Piccolo's scent slammed into her brain, her body stiffening. The door shut just as quickly and she relaxed, her muscles aching.

x

'_And you say she smells different?' _Nail seemed just as perplexed.

_Yes, and she's constantly agitated and jumpy. I think she still has a fever too. She looks flushed constantly, and she's been shivering and sweating._

'_What about her breathing?' _Nail asked, thinking to himself that she didn't sound 'sick' at all.

_Heavy most of the time. And she looks exhausted. Can barely keep her eyes open._

'_Mmmm'_, Nail pretended to think, _'Have you ever noticed this before?'_

_No, this is the first time I've known her to be ill._

_You really are oblivious Piccolo, 'Then I suggest you call Tholi.'_

Piccolo broke the link and got up, pulling a card from beneath the phone, his hand paused above it for nearly a minute before he picked it up.

xx

She must have dozed off, because she was sure she heard the door open again and his scent wash over her like a warm blanket. It faded and she opened her eyes, brows furrowing as she caught the smell of something grassy and flowery. Lifting the pillow she saw a steaming cup on her night stand, and smiled. Piccolo really did have his sweet moments. Easing herself up, she picked up the mug, inhaling the fragrance of the herbal mixture. Green notes with a hint of nectar, the distinct smell of red clover. There was another smell there, a bitter smell, but she ignored it as the warm liquid slid over her dry mouth.

It wasn't until she got to the bottom of the cup that she thought of the bitterness again, and only because there was the remnants of white powder in the bottom of her cup along with the shriveled remains of clover. Laying back, she felt distinctly relaxed, though still warm. She felt like she had a decent buzz, and guessed there was a mild sedative in the tea. Chuckling at the idea of Piccolo drugging her, she got up and pulled on a tank top, swaying to the door. Opening it, she saw Piccolo look up at her and raise a brow when she waggled her fingers at him. Half stumbling towards the kitchen, she got herself a bottle of water and went to lean against the doorway to the living room.

Piccolo watched her curiously as she opened the water and drank it lazily, before his eyes dragged down her body. He didn't know how long he was staring at her, but it must have been a second too long, because when he looked back up at her face she was smirking at him.

"See something you like?" she asked, her voice dripping with hidden promises.

"What makes you say that?" he asked, his voice a low growl as he made sure to keep his eyes on her face.

"Because I know what men look at when they look at me," she said, dropping down and stalking towards him, giving him a sly smile as she reached him and put her hands on his knees, "Come on P-sama, just admit you were looking at me."

"Not how you think," he said softly, trying to keep his breathing even as she leaned closer and his senses were bombarded with her scent.

"Sure," she purred, leaning in closer until their lips were millimeters away, "That also why you're trembling?"

He mentally cursed, more for her being observant than his body's traitorous actions, and jumped as she brushed her lips against his, "Nozomi!"

"Please don't tell me to stop," she sighed, leaning in closer and sliding her hands up his arms to his neck, her lips ghosting along his jaw to his ear, "I need you Piccolo."

Between her scent filling his nostrils and her soft lips against his skin, his head was starting to swim. He had to stop her before she did something she'd regret, so he grabbed her wrists and pushed her back slightly, "Nozomi . . . "

She leaned in quickly and caught his lips, kissing him hungrily and feeling him stiffen before he began responding, gasping as she pulled back, "Please Piccolo."

"I can't," he said softly, using all his will power to lean back when her mouth moved for his again, "Not right now, Nozomi. Not like this."

She growled, not looking at him as she tried to pull her hands away , subsequently missing his disappointed look. Ashamed of herself, she sat there for a moment before she got up, staggering back to her room and passing out on her bed.

Piccolo sighed, bringing a hand to pass over his face, both thankful for, and cursing his self control. He was suddenly tired, and wearily took off his cape and turban, attempting to stretch out on the couch. He didn't quiet fit, and it wasn't the least bit comfortable, but it beat laying on the floor.

He dozed on and off for a few hours, and then got up, going to check on Nozomi. He chuckled, seeing she had an arm and a leg hanging off the bed, and was drooling. Walking in, he rolled her to her back and pulled the comforter to drape over her, pushing her hair out of her face. She grunted and rolled away to splay out in the middle of the bed, and he smiled. Picking up the cup, he glanced in the bottom, raising a brow at the white powdery sludge in the bottom.

"Well, that explains it," he grumbled, wondering just what Tholi had given him, "Wonder when it'll wear off."

He watched her sleep for a few moments, smiling as she rolled back over. Her brow furrowed and she frowned, and he wondered what she was dreaming about.

x

_Nozomi looked down the dark hallway, the light cast by the hanging oil lamps was feeble at best. The spaces between them remained dark, but it did cast enough light to allow her to see with the mild form of dark vision that she had acquired. She found herself thanking whatever part of her makeup for it as she glanced at the walls. They were stone, but of such age that they were cracking and crumbling. She began walking, feeling more drawn down the hall than anything, and heard a dry scraping sound from far off. _

_Her nostrils flared as she caught the scent of a predator, but she couldn't place what kind it was. She heard the scraping sound again, like old leather rubbing against stone, and heard a slight rattling of metal the closer she got. Finally reaching the end of the hall, she felt dread twisting inside her stomach like a great serpent, and knew that whatever was here was not only evil, but not completely unfamiliar. _

_There was a soft breathing sound, and she steeled herself as she opened her mouth, "Who are you?"_

_She saw two eyes open deep in the dark, pearly white and pupil-less, and felt a chill run up her spine as a distinctly female voice chuckled, "You mean you don't know?"_

'_That voice,' Nozomi thought, the taste of bile in her throat, "Would I have asked if I did?"_

_Another cold chuckle, "Fair enough."_

_There was a rattling, more leathery scraping, and the eyes closed, opening again slowly, "I don't think you're ready for the answer."_

"_And who are you to make that decision?" she frowned, watching a set of teeth appear as whatever 'she' was grinned, the eyes narrowing in delighted malice._

_There was a burst of wind as it rushed towards her, the chains catching just before it reached her and she felt the rage coming off it in waves. There was a crackle of electricity and the smell of ozone in the air as lighting began arcing everywhere, lighting up the room. Nozomi stumbled back in horror, screaming, as the thing in front of her laughed gleefully._

x

She lashed out, hearing a surprised yell and opened her eyes, watching Piccolo wipe a line of blood from his split lip, "What in the Nine Hells are you doing?"

"Coming in here to see what you're screaming about," he growled, concern etching his features as he saw she was sweating again, the tank top she was wearing was soaked through.

"I had a nightmare," she said, rubbing a hand over her face and wrinkling her nose at the amount of moisture she found there, "Sorry about your lip."

"Humph, it wasn't much of a punch, just caught me off guard," he said quietly, looking away from her as he had noticed he could see through the thin white material of her shirt.

"You and your damn ego," she smiled, realizing her 'fever' seemed to have broken, "I'm taking a very long shower."

"Good, because you smell," he said, watching her glance at him over her shoulder, her eye crinkled in a smile.

"So do you, you old lizard," she said, turning around and quickly giving him a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you Piccolo."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Next chapter: Spring break comes to Orange Star High, Gohan begins teaching Videl to fly, and Nozomi and Piccolo return to the Lookout as the Tenkaichi Budokai draws near.


	41. Appreciation for Argumentativeness

Last Chapter: Nozomi falls back on old habits and old cycles, and Piccolo has more problems on his hands.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You're what?" Nozomi asked, her rice falling from her chopsticks back into her bento.

Gohan raised a brow, not expecting this reaction from her. She and Videl had called an uneasy truce and were beginning to be civil to each other since Nozomi had returned to school from her illness two months ago. In her absence, Gohan and Videl had begun talking. Well, if you could call him babbling incoherently for the first week as she took advantage of Nozomi's absence to step up interrogating him talking. She had also been absent when Videl had cornered Gohan and essentially blackmailed him into teaching her. Nozomi had also been so busy catching up with her schoolwork; she hadn't had time to notice them becoming friendly once the two dark haired teens began spending time away from school with each other.

"I said I'm teaching her to fly," he repeated, seeing a momentary flash of hurt in her eyes, "And actually, she's catching on fairly quickly."

She wanted to point out that she had asked Gohan years ago to teach her to fly, and he had refused, but she didn't, "Mmm."

"Hi guys," Videl said, sitting down next to Gohan, "I was asking Gohan yesterday if he was entering the tournament, and he agreed to. Are you going to Nozomi?"

If Nozomi had hackles, they would have been standing on end, but she managed to remain calm and replied with a bored, "No, not this year. They asked me to do a publicity match though."

"Oh? Are you going to do it?" Videl asked, genuinely curious.

"I haven't decided," she said, her appetite gone, "It'll just depend on my schedule I suppose."

"Why don't you ask Mr. Piccolo to enter?" Gohan asked, glad Videl couldn't read Nozomi as well as he could as she shot him a look that would have made Piccolo proud.

"I'll get right on it," she said, her voice dripping with saccharin.

Gohan blinked at her, wondering about her hostility, when he realized Videl had asked him a question, "I'm sorry?"

"What are you all doing for Spring Break?" she repeated, "I can't believe they moved it to coincide with the tournament this year. It's so exciting."

Nozomi raised a brow, "I think Piccolo said something about going to visit a friend."

"Dende?" Gohan asked, "Wow, you're lucky. All I'm doing is training with Goten."

"And me!" Videl said with a wide smile, making Gohan blush.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you," Nozomi said, changing the subject as she looked at Videl, "Why'd you cut your hair?"

It didn't go unnoticed that Gohan and Videl both blushed furiously, and she snorted.

"I just wanted a change," Videl said with a little shrug, "By the way, I like yours wavy like that."

Nozomi had gone to bed with it thrown in a messy braid because she'd passed out on the couch with her calculus book, and her hair had dried in waves that the magazines she looked at while she was waiting in line at the store had said were all the rage, "Thank you."

Videl smiled, and Nozomi had to give her credit that she looked older with her hair short like that. It didn't make her cuter, but it didn't make her uglier either, and she guessed Gohan could have done worse. She told him so later that day, and he had blinked at her for a minute and thanked her, not really getting what she had meant. Nozomi had just shaken her head and walked off, enjoying the cool breeze as she headed home.

She looked up at the sky, the moon already visible on the horizon, and decided that she would walk all the way today to try to cool off. Why she was so upset, she didn't really know. Then again, she didn't want to admit to herself that the reason she was upset was because now that Gohan and Videl were obviously on their way towards a relationship, it made her a third wheel. A low rumble made her look up again, and she frowned as a fat raindrop hit her in between her eyes. With that small warning, the sky opened up and she was soon drenched, her frown deepening.

Sighing heavily, she began walking, more so because the chill of the rain was somewhat soothing. At least it was until a car sped past her and upheaved a wave of dirty water all over her. She stood there splay-legged and hissing like a drenched cat, the smell of road grime and motor oil clinging to the now ruined linen and silk of her skirt and blouse.

"Oh come on!" she yelled at the sky, her only answer coming in the form of a clap of thunder.

Rolling her eyes, she trudged ahead, wanting to cry for the first time in a long time. If Piccolo knew she was indulging in such self-pity for pity's sake, he probably would have slapped her, or he might not even notice. Ever since she had come out of her last heat, Piccolo had avoided any kind of close contact other than sparring, and generally seemed distant. She wasn't sure if she had done something, and began wondering if the dream she had had of throwing herself at him had really been a dream. She hoped the fact that they were leaving for the Lookout for a whole week of uninterrupted training would mend whatever rift had suddenly appeared between them.

By the time she reached the end of the driveway, she was shivering slightly, and she took off her sandals so she wouldn't be mired in the mud. She even hated the mud here. The soil was a mustard yellow and sandy, and felt infuriatingly gritty between her toes. She missed the cool, black soil of the Temple, and the sticky, red clay around their house.

Standing at the end of the driveway, she allowed a few tears to fall only because she knew the rain would hide them. Sniffing softly, she began walking to the house again, looking up as a flash of lightning lit up the darkening sky. Now it didn't look like they would be leaving that night. While they could have flown low in the rain until the got to Korin's tower, with the lightning it would be nothing short of hazardous to attempt the trip. This realization had her wanting to throw her shoes in anger, but she simply let her shoulders sag more while she walked in between the pines.

x

Piccolo growled as he hung up his cape, wondering to himself why Nozomi was late coming home. She knew they were leaving- at least the packed bag by the door indicated she did- but she still wasn't home. He heard the thunder roll and his eyes followed suit. If she'd gotten home at her usual time, they might have been able to hustle and beat the lightning. Now they would have to wait it out, and he had wanted the time that they were flying to think.

He had tried to distance himself from her for the past two months, and found that while he could do it, it was painful. He had caught her looking at him sadly more than once, a look in her eyes that stabbed right at his heart. It was a pleading look, and he knew she was silently asking him what she had done to deserve him acting like a royal ass. He didn't have an answer for that unspoken question, other than he was being selfish.

It had taken all his self-discipline and strength to push her away that night, and he could still feel her lips against his and taste her on his tongue. Every time she got within two feet of him, he felt himself react to her. The urge just to hold her was almost too much, not even mentioning the other urges he had. Nail had been thankfully silent, and he was fairly sure the other Namek could feel the conflicting emotions and chose not to offer his advice.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked towards the road, watching Nozomi walking with her shoes in her hand. Her clothes were dirty as though she had fallen, and he was momentarily concerned before she came nearer and he realized it was a splash pattern.

Their eyes met, and she paused, water running down her face in little rivulets, hair and clothes sticking uncomfortably to her chilled skin, "What?"

Her tone made him want to flinch. Obviously, she had had a wonderful day, "You're late."

"Decided to walk and the sky pissed on me," she said, "Then a car decided my clothes would look better with dirt and oil on them, so I figured, what the hell. Ruined is ruined."

"We'll have to wait until it stops," he said, hoping she wasn't going to break into her store of sarcasm.

"Can't we just go now? I mean, surely we'd be out of it before too long," she just wanted to get away from Satan City, from Gohan, from Videl, and from the crappy little house sitting in the crappy yellow mud.

He raised a brow, realizing she must be miserable if she was willing to be struck by lightning rather than stay there any longer, "I'm not carrying you if you get hurt."

"Didn't think you would," she said lowly, walking past him only long enough to get her bag and toss him the house keys, "Lock the door."

She took off, leaving him blinking on the porch.

xx

Dende looked at her in shock as she landed, taking in her filthy clothes and searching behind her for Piccolo. Not seeing him, he gave her a questioning look.

"Don't ask," she sighed, walking past him, her voice weary, "All I want right now is a hot bath."

He nodded, watching her walk into the dark interior of the mansion, feeling Piccolo's power level not too far off. They must have had an argument of some kind, though that didn't explain Nozomi's dirty clothes. Then again, given how volatile they were with each other, it might. Five minutes passed and Piccolo landed at the edge of the Lookout and walked forward, raising a brow at Dende.

"Do I want to know?" the younger Namek asked.

"I do," Piccolo said, "I'm as baffled as you are."

"So you all didn't have an argument then?"

Piccolo frowned, "Not this time. At least I don't think we did."

"You seem very troubled," he frowned, "and, not that I've been prying into your thoughts, but you have been for some time. What happened?"

He heaved a heavy sigh, "Let's go into the library and I'll tell you."

x

Nozomi sank down into the fragrant water and resurfaced, pushing the moisture off her face with a contented sigh. It had been so long since she had bothered with an actual bath, and the soap Mr. Popo had brought for her was fantastic. She had scrubbed all the road grime off, her bad mood with it, and was relaxing in a fresh tub of the same scented bubbles. Someone was walking by the door, and thinking it was Popo, she called out.

"Mr. Popo, could I trouble you for some tea?"

"He's outside in the garden."

She jumped, splashing some water out on the floor, and turned around, watching Piccolo force his smirk down, "Did you just get here?"

"I've been talking with Dende," he said, watching the bubbles covering her chest beginning to slide downwards, "I hope you're in a better mood."

"I am," she said, noticing where he was looking and rolling over to press herself against the side of the huge tub, her chin resting on her crossed arms, "Now that we're away from that horrible place."

"It's only for a few more weeks," he said, crossing his own arms, "You're really being very childish about it."

She frowned, "Easy for you to say. You're not in teenage Hell everyday. I'd rather be with Old Lady Enma and her tortures than holed up in that, that . . . that institution."

"And what's so bad about it?" he asked, finally glad they were having this conversation. It might at least solve one of their current issues.

"You mean other than the jeering and the leering and the daily challenges from every lowlife that school has? Oh, or how about the occasional groping when I'm getting something out of my locker, only to turn and there be a whole crowd of people and no one to pin it on?"

His eyes darkened at the thought of someone taking liberties like that with her, and he barely heard anything else.

She had taken a deep breath, "Or how about having no friends except for Gohan, and now he's got a girlfriend, so you can pretty much count him out. I mean, I'm taller than most everyone, look different, and I'm pretty sure most people think I'm something of a freak, and thanks to the horrible Videl's idiot father, a fraud. So, what else is there? Piccolo? Piccolo, are you listening to me?"

He raised a brow, "Of course I am."

She rolled her eyes, "Obviously. So now, it's your turn. What bee's been in your turban lately?"

He cleared his throat, "Mainly? You and your piss poor mood."

She frowned at him, and he swore he saw a look of hurt in her eyes before it was replaced by anger as she turned back around, "Well, glad we've established that."

"That's not all," he said, watching her look at him over her shoulder, his resolve crumbling, "I don't like you using the Gravity Room."

She turned halfway around, an arm covering her breasts, "And?"

"And you running around in your underwear all the time," his cheeks turning purple as he tried not to think about it.

One corner of her mouth threatened to turn up, "And?"

"And you rubbing yourself all over me when you think it'll get you your way," he was getting himself in deeper, and he knew it.

"And?" this was definitely getting interesting, "I thought you liked that P-sama."

"Well, I don't," he snapped, realizing she was still able to get under his skin, "And that smug smirk of yours."

"What about it?" she cooed, batting her eyelashes at him.

"You are the most infuriating female on the face of this Earth!" he yelled.

"Piccolo?"

"What?" he bellowed, not altogether disliking the look in her eyes.

"Unless you're lying about all that, and also want to see me naked, I suggest you turn around. I'm starting to prune," she said, glad she could still goad him into losing his self-control.

"Why would I ever want to see you naked?" he growled, turning around, "Not like I've never seen a woman before."

She paused as she was wrapping her towel around her, frowning, "OH? And WHO was it you saw, then?"

Was that jealousy in her voice? "One of those magazines Roshi has. They're only all over his house. It's hard not to see them."

She was passing him, and gave him a suspicious look, "Mmhmm."

He raised a brow, "Besides, isn't it all the same, just different proportions, like men?"

Her eye twitched, though she had to admit, he had a point, "I suppose."

"Then what does it matter, if I've seen those women in those magazines, I've seen all women," he rationalized, wondering why her cheeks were turning red.

"I look nothing like those women," she snapped, "I look ten times better!"

He blinked, "If you mean not emaciated, then yes."

She puffed up, "So I'm fat?"

"That wasn't what I said," he sighed, "Are you on one of those courses?"

"You mean period?" she asked, wondering how part of him was ever Kami when he acted so ignorant, "No Piccolo, I'm not. Why?"

"Because you've been in a bad mood today. More so than usual anyway," he replied, watching her jaw clench, "Why don't you just go to bed?"

"I am NOT five!" she yelled, "My problems cannot be solved by going to bed early!"

They both turned at the sound of someone clearing their throat, and saw Mr. Popo and Dende standing there, watching them.

"We were coming to see if you were hungry," Dende said, looking uncertain, "Mr. Popo fixed you supper, and we heard you yelling-"

He stopped, looking as though he had said something wrong, and Nozomi sighed, "Thank you Kami-sama. I'll change and be there in a moment. Thank you Mr. Popo."

She walked away to her room, and Piccolo sighed, "She has got to be the most infuriating and argumentative person on Earth."

Dende and Mr. Popo shared a look, and then Dende cleared his throat, "Only towards you though. She's nothing but pleasant to me. Maybe it's something else."

"Like what?" Piccolo growled.

Dende shrugged, "It's between you and her, so you should know."

He raised a brow, watching the two walk away, and sighed, "Right."

Walking towards her room, he rapped lightly on the ornate screen, hearing a muffled 'one minute' in reply, "You've had plenty of time to-"

He opened the screen and watched her quickly cover herself with her arms, knowing if looks could kill, he would be smoldering ashes by now, "What have you been doing?"

She growled, unable to move her hands unless she wanted him to see every inch of the front of her, "Drying my hair and putting on lotion. For the gods' sake Piccolo, I do take a bit longer to get ready than you seem to think."

He raised a brow, "I still don't get why you're not dressed."

"And I don't get why you're still standing there!" she bellowed, "Will you PLEASE close the screen and let me at least put on my underwear? We CAN talk through the screen!"

Realizing what he was doing, he flushed purple and snapped the screen closed, muttering an apology.

"What is it?" she hissed, reappearing a moment later in a tee shirt and soccer shorts, "What was it that was THAT damn important?"

"Why are you always arguing with me?" he pointedly asked, narrowing his eyes at her in an interrogatory sort of way.

Her jaw dropped, "You- you're joking, right? You've got to be joking."

"I'm not."

"You just barged in on me ass naked to ask me something that asinine?" she asked, looking truly shocked, "And it's why I'm 'always' arguing with you? For real?"

He raised a brow, his face serious.

She opened her mouth, and then closed it, repeating the motion several times. Finally, she just closed her mouth and blinked at him, trying to think of something to say, and only coming up with a muttered, "Fuck me running."

"I will do no such thing," he growled.

"It's a slang term, Piccolo. I don't know how to even address the situation, much less the question," she frowned.

"So why not just say that?" he asked, perturbed at her choice of language.

"Because I like to say fuck," she scowled.

He grunted in reply, frowning.

She grunted too, following it with a deeper scowl, "Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck, fuck, and fuck."

He rolled his eyes, "I should have known better than to try and get you to have a mature conversation."

"I don't know the answer to your question. And to be completely fair, I don't always start the argument," she said, crossing her arms, "I figure I'm only responsible at least fifty percent of the time. The other fifty percent can be attributed to you."

"To ME? And how did you come up with that?" he snapped, watching her smirk.

"Because it takes two to tango."

"What does dancing have to do with this?"

"You're a real dork, you know that?"

He began puffing up, and she began chuckling, "Have you ever thought about the fact that sometimes I argue with you because you're being awkward, or I'm being awkward, or I want something, or you just make it so much fun?"

He growled, "I don't find it fun."

"And yet, here you are, starting an argument with a question that I'm sure you felt was perfectly reasonable, but . . . " she made a sweeping gesture with her arm, "Here we are. Back at square one. We argue, P-sama, because we're comfortable enough with each other that we don't care if we make each other mad."

Piccolo blinked.

"Just like you've gotten comfortable in my home routine that you assumed I'd be dressed when you barged in," she smiled, giving him a wink, "One minute earlier and you'd have gotten an eye full. Oh, but that's right, you've already seen all women, so I'm sure you wouldn't have been embarrassed."

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" he sighed, wondering if he would ever win.

She leaned up and kissed his cheek, shaking her head, "Maybe in the next lifetime, but not in this one."

He chuckled, watching her raise an eyebrow, "What?"

"Come on P-sama, once I've eaten I'm going to wipe the floor with you," she smirked, walking away towards the dining room.

He rolled his eyes good naturedly, thinking it hadn't gone nearly as badly as he thought it would.

xxxx

Nozomi glanced over at Piccolo again, watching another butterfly collide with his aura and fall smoking to the white marble. Already Mr. Popo was about to panic about the other jewel-toned insects that lived in the garden meeting the same fate, so she decided not to tell him about number twenty-five.

Piccolo had been meditating that way since he'd let her use the Pendulum Room two days prior. She didn't understand exactly what it was about, but she had caught his nervous glance at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Whatever it was, she didn't mind, it gave her time to laze in the shade of the palms and think. She realized she was staring at Piccolo and turned her head, not seeing Dende and Mr. Popo share a look as they passed. With a sigh, she looked back up at the sky again. They were too high up for there to be any clouds, so she soon grew tired of that. With a wide yawn and a long, languid feline stretch, she got to her feet, deciding to revisit the library.

As she reached the mansion's entrance, she paused, feeling a familiar ki signature approaching, and frowned. Deciding she might as well see what they wanted, she stood just inside the alcove where she couldn't be seen.

Gohan landed just midway from the edge of the Lookout, walking the rest of the way and looking around. Mr. Popo and Dende stared at him a moment, and wouldn't have recognized him if it wasn't for his ki.

"Hey Dende, Mr. Popo," he said, looking over at Piccolo, "How long has he been like that?"

"Two days," Dende replied, feeling rather than seeing Piccolo power down.

"Where's Nozomi?" Gohan asked, looking around, "I thought she was here too."

"Probably in the library," Piccolo said, stretching his back as he looked Gohan and his Saiyaman suit over, "What's with the outfit?"

x

Nozomi rolled her eyes as Gohan began explaining it to him, and frowned when he asked Piccolo to enter the Tournament, telling him Goku would be there. Her frown deepened when she heard him accept, thinking bitterly the only reason she hadn't entered was his steadfast refusal to do so. She was mulling it over in her mind when she heard Piccolo's snarky comment about Gohan's attire, and couldn't stop the snort of laughter, knowing Piccolo had heard it.

She was finally relieved when Gohan left, but it was short-lived as Piccolo walked through the door and looked over at her, "What?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said, watching her scowl, "Why didn't you come outside?"

"Why did you tell me no to the Tournament only to turn around and say yes to Gohan?" she snapped, crossing her arms.

He looked shocked, "Because it will probably be the last time I get the chance to spar with Goku, or even see him."

She rolled her eyes, "At least you think his outfit's dumb too."

"What's this really about Nozomi?" he asked sensing she was upset by more than him agreeing to fight.

"Only reason he's even entering is because of Videl," she said softly.

"Are you jealous of Videl? Is there something about you and Gohan you're not telling me?" he asked, feeling like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on him.

"No, it's not that," she sighed, "Well, maybe a little bit. I mean, I don't like Gohan like that or anything, but . . . But it was nice having someone to flirt with who thought I was attractive."

Piccolo blinked, "You're upset because Gohan's paying this Videl person more attention than you?"

"Well it sounds petty and stupid when you say it!" she frowned, then mumbling, "But I guess so."

"You realize how childish that is, right?"

"You keep on saying that! It only sounds childish to you, and only because you-" she stopped, glaring at him with tears forming in her eyes, "If I wanted your opinion I'd ask for it. It is not childish to want someone to pay you a little bit of attention now and then, and appreciate you. Or realize you're a woman!"

"I do realize you're a woman," he sighed, "I'm painfully reminded of that every day when you get like this."

"That's not what I mean!" she spat, unable to hold back the tears, "Don't you think I have needs and desires that - Nevermind Piccolo, it's pointless talking to you about this."

She turned on her heels and began walking hastily down the hall, wiping her eyes with the back of her wrist.

Piccolo stared after her, not understanding what he had done to upset her so. He did understand that there was something that he wasn't doing, and she had turned to Gohan for it, only for him to begin a relationship with Videl.

"I think she wants you to pay attention to her," Dende said, jumping when Piccolo spun around, "Not that I was eavesdropping, but. . . I think she wants you to treat her like a woman."

"Didn't realize I wasn't," Piccolo said, watching Dende sigh.

"Then I don't know what she means," Dende shrugged, "Mr. Popo?"

"She wants attention," the djinn said, deciding to remove himself from the situation before he had to elaborate.

"She demands my attention all the time," Piccolo said.

'_She wants a different kind of attention,' _Nail said, his smirk obvious, _'The kind men give women on this planet.'_

"I was hoping you'd gotten yourself lost somewhere in there," Piccolo said.

'_Face it Piccolo, the girl desires you for a mate. If not that, then she just desires some __**sexual **__attention from you_.'

He scowled, and Dende couldn't help himself, "What did he say?"

"Nothing of consequence," Piccolo said quickly, _Keep your perversion to yourself. Nozomi doesn't want anything like that from me. Our relationship is strictly one of sensei and student, just as Gohan and I have_.

'_No it's __**not**__. If it was, why was she so hurt that you accepted Gohan's offer to enter the Tournament and not hers. She probably feels it has __**nothing **__to do with Goku and everything to do with Gohan_,' Nail countered.

_No she doesn't_, he wished he sounded more convinced, _She would have said something either way._

'_Have you said anything to her about how you feel?'_

_That's not-_

'_Did it ever occur to you that she might be having the same apprehension that you do? That __**because **__you don't treat her any differently than Gohan, she thinks that you hold her in lesser regard, especially after today?' _Nail began, stopping Piccolo from replying by continuing_, 'That the longer you wait for her to come to you, the more likely it is she'll seek attention from someone else?'_

He didn't say anything.

'_What's it going to take Piccolo? The end of the world?'_

Piccolo turned and walked away, leaving Dende staring in confusion after him. He stopped in front of her room, and paused, hearing her crying softly inside, "Nozomi."

He heard her sniff loudly, "What?"

"If you want to enter the Tournament too, that's fine."

She opened the screen, "Is that what you think? That I'm upset over a stupid tournament?"

"I don't know why you're upset," he said, "But if that's it then -"

"It's not," she sniffed again.

"Then what is it?"

"It's- Nothing Piccolo, it's nothing," she sighed, looking defeated, "Don't worry about it. Thank you for coming to check on me."

He raised a brow, "Are you being truthful, or lying about that?"

"Which would you be more comfortable with?" she asked, watching his eyes widen.

"The truth," he replied.

She looked at him a moment, their gazes locked, before she stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his waist, "The truth is I'm just going to have to get used to being second."

He didn't understand what she meant until she had retreated into her room and slid the screen closed again, and he grunted in confusion.

'_I told you.'_

_You couldn't just let it go, could you? Had to get that little jab in._

'_Just so you won't go thinking that you're always right.'_

xxxx

Nozomi got out of the car and tossed her sunglasses onto the driver's seat, watching Piccolo get out and stretch, "Glad we got here early."

He nodded, watching her shoulder her bag, looking at the brown skirt and turquoise tank top she was wearing. She was obviously not there to compete, and he felt a small twinge of guilt about it before she began walking away. With a sigh, he followed her, watching her give him a puzzled look when he registered as 'Ma Jr.', and they were both surprised when the employee called her by name.

"Ms. Sensono, would you like to register?"

She stared at him, and looked at Piccolo, who raised a brow and tilted his head towards the registration slip the man held out, "No thank you."

"Are you sure Miss? We were told to ask you by Mr. Satan's daughter Videl," he said, "She even completed your registration form for you; all you have to do is sign it."

"Oh really?" Nozomi asked, her eyes narrowing, "Give me that pen."

Piccolo tried to contain his smirk as she signed her name with more flourish than usual, and watched her glare at him, unable to contain it any longer.

"You wipe that look right off your face," she snapped, muttering a 'thank you' to the registration clerk as she pushed him her slip and pen, "What?"

"You are so easy to predict," he said, walking with her back towards the car, "Did you look at what you were signing by the way?"

She paused, looking at him suspiciously, "What do you mean?"

"You signed an agreement to an exhibition match, and not the Tournament," he chuckled, watching her cheeks turn a shade that made him glad it wasn't directed at him.

"The- Oh the nerve of- Ooh!" she hissed, shaking all over, "That hussy!"

He chuckled, watching her glare at him, "Are you going to fight in that?"

She looked down at herself, and wrinkled her nose, "I could."

"Didn't say you couldn't, but um . . ." he nodded towards her skirt, "It would be somewhat awkward to kick in that."

"Not at all," she smirked, giving him a sly look, "It would give me an advantage due to the distraction."

He snorted, glancing at the huge poster with Hercule Satan on it, "I have no doubt the 'champ' would be distracted by that."

"Aww, P-sama, it's nice to know you'd think someone would be distracted by my panties," she laughed, watching him give her a waning look.

"So what are you going to fight in?" he asked, deciding to change the subject.

"I, um, brought my gi," she said softly, hearing him chuckle, "Only because we're staying for a few days and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to train."

"I'm sure," he said, watching her take out the neatly folded black and red bundle.

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**Next Chapter**: Everyone gathers for the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai.


	42. Rules of Engagement

Last Chapter: Nozomi and Piccolo try to find out what's causing the other's moodiness, and find out Goku is returning to enter the World Tournament, only for Piccolo's agreement to enter causing an unintentional rift between himself and Nozomi.

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Nozomi remained relatively silent after she changed until Bulma and Vegeta arrived with Trunks, when the young boy ran up and began speaking excitedly to her while she and Vegeta exchanged a civil nod. Bulma asked her about her gi, to which Nozomi gave a short, noncommittal answer before crouching down to speak with Trunks, who had began tugging on her pants.

Piccolo noticed both Bulma and Vegeta were looking at him, and he realized he had been watching Nozomi intently with a small smile on his face. He pasted on a frown as he looked back at the power couple, and Vegeta smirked as he wrapped an arm around Bulma possessively.

"Nozomi!"

She stiffened, but gave Trunks a warm smile and ruffled his hair as she stood, turning with a blank expression to the person who had called her name.

"I didn't know if you'd come or not," Videl said, glancing behind her at Piccolo and the Briefs, "I'm glad you did. Are you competing? Did they give you your form?"

"The one for the exhibition match?" she said crossly, watching Videl's eyebrows raise, "Yes, they did."

"The- I thought," she saw Nozomi's eyes narrow, "I told them to save you one of the regular forms."

"Well, they gave me one that they said you had already completed, all I had to do was sign," Nozomi said, crossing her arms, "Only after I signed it did I realize what it was for."

"Honestly Nozomi, I had nothing to do with that," Videl said earnestly, shaking her head, "And I didn't fill anything out for you, I just told them to reserve one for you. For the preliminaries."

By her tone and body language, Nozomi could tell she wasn't lying. Or at least, if she was, she herself believed the in lie completely. She sighed, "Well, it's too late to back out now. I'll just have to deal with it."

Videl gave her a nervous smile, and had just opened her mouth when she was interrupted by another young family, this time a man without a nose and a blond woman and child.

"Hey guys," Krillin said cheerfully, "Long time no see."

"Krillin! Piccolo!"

They turned, and Nozomi watched Videl's face light up as Gohan was waving at them. She heard Piccolo mumble something about the fact that Gohan was wearing his Saiyaman costume, making her chuckle.

"I thought your father was coming," Nozomi said, not seeing Goku anywhere.

"You know Goku, he's always late," Chi Chi growled, her ire turning to shock when another voice sounded behind her.

They all looked up as Goku grinned at them, and Chi Chi went running forwards a few steps, her eyes threatening to overflow as he grinned sheepishly at her.

Nozomi smiled gently, unconsciously moving closer to Piccolo, who raised a brow. His gaze was pulled towards a short man with purple skin and a white mohawk, who was accompanied by a taller man of the same complexion. Something about the pair bothered him, but he couldn't place it. He turned his attention back to Nozomi, and saw her raise one of her eyebrows at him questioningly, and he shook his head.

xx

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Nozomi signed, _what now? _Turning, she was surprised to see a very handsome blond man with a large bouquet of red roses. She blinked, looking taken aback, "Y-yes?"

"I just wanted to let you know I'm a big fan of yours," he said, handing her the flowers, "I'm really looking forward to your match with The Champ. It'll be like poetry in motion."

She was stunned, and could feel her cheeks turning pink, and she couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips, "Thank you. You're too kind."

"And you're simply stunning," he smiled suavely, taking her hand and kissing it, "If I may be so bold, would you do me the honor of having dinner with me this evening?"

She felt like she was going to melt into a puddle, and began stuttering, "W-well, I um. I-"

"Caroni!" someone yelled, making him turn his head.

"I'll have to get your answer later," he said, kissing her hand again, "Until we meet again. Au revoir."

She watched him leave, and blinked when she saw a hand wave in front of her face, turning and seeing Bulma smirk, "Wha-?"

"Mmm," Bulma said, looking at the roses, "Wasn't he charming."

Bulma glanced at Piccolo, who was silently seething with rage, and watched Vegeta smirk, before raising a brow at Nozomi, "So are you going?"

"Am I going where?" Nozomi asked, apparently still in shock.

"To dinner with that hunk of man," she smirked.

"Oh, no! I- I can't," she began murmuring, plucking at one of the roses, "You know, training and all that."

"You can't be serious," 18 said, raising a brow, "I'd go."

"Honey!" Krillin said, watching his wife roll her eyes.

"I meant I would if I wasn't married," she sighed.

"Yeah, for real. Why are you even thinking of this?" Bulma asked, "Not like you're dating anyone now. Unless, you know, Piccolo has some rule."

Piccolo snorted.

"No, I just," Nozomi looked miserably uncomfortable, and close to tears, "Can we drop it?"

Bulma blinked, seeing the tall girl's stance was suddenly awkward and stooped, as though she was trying to make herself smaller, "So what are you gonna do with the roses?"

She shoved them to the older woman, "You take them. I . . . I really don't like flowers anyway."

Piccolo raised a brow, thinking of the little bed of flowers that she had meticulously planted when they'd arrived, and how excited she had been to get flowers from Otaka when she was younger.

"Videl!"

It was Videl's turn to groan, and Nozomi was thankful that the attention was off of her. She caught Piccolo's eye and glared at him, making him blink at her a few minutes before he looked at another blond man, this one closer to their age.

"Sharpener," Videl forced a smile, sensing rather than seeing Gohan tense behind her.

"What do you think of my new camera?" he asked, holding it up, "I'm going to take lots of pictures of you."

"That's nice," she said blandly, watching Nozomi bite her lip to keep from laughing.

Piccolo narrowed his eyes at the camera, and then chuckled as Gohan began rambling about some nonsense to the interloper. Nozomi shot him another glare, and he resolved to get to the bottom of it once they were somewhere more private.

xx

Everything went smoothly until all the cameras in the waiting area suddenly exploded, for which Nozomi glared nearly a minute at Piccolo, while he did everything he could to avoid looking in her direction. When he finally did, he had to good grace to appear confused as to why she was giving him that look, and she rolled her eyes in an exasperated sort of way.

"Miss Sensono?"

She turned, watching one of the monks that served as attendants to the Tournament hold up a wrapped bundle.

"Mr. Satan wanted us to give you this with his request that you wear it during your match with him," he said, bowing and moving away.

Piccolo raised a brow, seeing everyone from their group was watching as she opened the brown paper it was wrapped in, her cheeks darkening as her eyes narrowed. He watched her hold up a skimpy bunny outfit, his own cheeks turning purple with rage. Vegeta began laughing out loud as Bulma snickered behind her hand, Videl looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock, Chi Chi looked scandalized, Gohan was trying not to look at anyone, and Goku came forward and flipped the fluffy tail on the back.

"That's cute, but I really don't see how you could fight in it without it going up your butt," he said seriously, oblivious to everyone else's reaction at his appraisal of the miniscule bit of black silk.

"She's **not **going to fight in it!" Piccolo growled, shocking even himself.

Vegeta smirked, "You still might want to save it for later Namek, I'm sure she'd wear it for you."

"Let's just get rid of it," Bulma said quickly, taking it from the younger woman in an attempt to de-escalate the situation since Piccolo was now glaring daggers at her husband.

Nozomi really wanted to cry in frustration. She couldn't wait for it all to be over and done with so that she and Piccolo could go to their hotel room and scream at each other until they were kicked out or the police were called. She wasn't aware of them calling people to the qualifying area until Videl gently touched her arm. Looking at the other girl, she watched her smile gently, and felt herself warming up to her just slightly. She attempted to smile back, but it looked more like her lip merely twitched.

"If it's any consolation, don't punch my Dad in the jaw, it's like concrete," she whispered, "Hit him in the nose."

Nozomi chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind."

"So he's your trainer?" Videl whispered quietly, unaware that Piccolo could hear every word, "He's kind of cute."

Nozomi blushed, "Oh. Uh . . ."

"I thought you had a crush on him," Videl giggled, not seeing Piccolo turn his head.

"Oh! I mean, you know . . . Bananas," Nozomi frowned, wondering why she had said something so absurd.

Videl laughed, lowering her voice again, not seeing Vegeta now had his head turned, "Wow, you do have it bad. At least I know Gohan's safe."

She laughed nervously, "Right."

They began chatting idly, or rather Videl chattered away while Nozomi stood there only replying when needed, still trying to decide whether Piccolo had heard anything.

Vegeta was smirking at Piccolo, who finally looked down at the Saiyan Prince with a look of disdain, "What?"

"You're blushing Namek," he said softly, waiting on their numbers.

Goku leaned over with Goten on his shoulders, and looked at him, "I think Vegeta's right Piccolo, unless you get sunburned now."

"Kakarot, I didn't think it was possible, but I think you're actually dumber than the last time I saw you," Vegeta quipped, enjoying his son's chuckle at the insult.

"I don't think so Vegeta," Goku replied, blinking for a moment, "I mean, I didn't have a head injury that I can remember, and I've been gone a long time."

Piccolo and Vegeta both chuckled, and they turned to one of the arena worker's as they began explaining the punching machine.

xx

"Nice Ouji, way to stay inconspicuous," she smirked, watching Vegeta shrug.

There was a tap on her shoulder, and she turned, one of the orange-robed workers bowing, "The exhibition match will be starting in a few minutes Miss."

She nodded, and then sighed, "How do I get myself into these things?"

"By being hasty," Piccolo said, walking with her as she followed the monk, "Mind telling me what's got you so ill at me?"

"I just am," she said, "And I shouldn't have to explain anything."

He snorted, "Why am I not surprised."

"I'm not going to dinner with him by the way, if you care," she said firmly, stopping and looking at him intently.

He stopped, raising a brow, "Well, I don't."

He watched her search his face for something, seeing a small flash of something like pain in her eyes, "If you want to, it's your decision, not mine."

"Well, I don't want to," she said just as resolutely, her shoulders set.

"Alright," he said, looking calmly back at her and watching her going through her stages of anger, "Keep your temper."

"Oh bother my temper!" she snapped, "I don't need you telling me to keep my temper when it's your fault I'm losing it!"

"Then tell me what I did," he said, hoping she would move again before the others caught up with them.

"Nothing! Just like you always do," she hissed, "You just stood there and did nothing with that infuriating blank look on your face because you don't give a damn."

He raised a brow as she stomped off after the now hesitant monk, and he frowned. Waiting for the others, he mulled over what she had said in his mind, wondering what it could possibly mean.

"Where's Nozomi?"

He looked at Gohan, "She went on ahead. I'm giving her a minute to cool off. She's upset."

"About what?" Videl asked, looking ahead and seeing her rigid form standing at the stadium entrance.

Piccolo shrugged nonchalantly, choosing not to worry about it at the moment. It would all come out later when she began screaming at him, he was sure of that, and he'd deal with it then. Right now he was more worried about Nozomi losing her control in the match and doing serious damage to Hercule. It was one thing when she lost control when the two of them sparred, but if she lost control on someone like Hercule or Videl- He didn't want to think about the consequences. She had been doing so well with her control the last time they left the Lookout, and now she appeared to be regressing. At least emotionally. Otherwise she was nearly flawless with her techniques. Out of his two pupils, Nozomi was definitely the most accurate and naturally talented, while Gohan seemed to have the most raw potential.

He watched Gohan walk up to her, both of them the same height, and saw Nozomi smile slightly. He knew from combat that Gohan was stronger than him, but would never have the drive to ever truly surpass him. Nozomi however, he wasn't sure just how strong she was in comparison, but he was sure that her control over her ki and her movements were on his level. If she could ever get control over her emotions, it was very possible that she would surpass him one day. She hadn't actually said it was her goal, but she was constantly pushing her boundaries with him when they sparred, trying to goad him into using his ki. If they made it to the end of the school year without killing each other, he supposed he could take her to the Tsumisumbri mountains and he wouldn't have to worry about her destroying anything.

He watched her turn and look at him, an apology obvious in her eyes, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. She smiled, watching Piccolo look uneasy again as the purple hued men passed them, raising a brow and moving next to him to say softly, "You never did explain that."

"You know about the Divine Hierarchy?" he asked softly, watching her give him a 'you know I do' look, "Well, I think that the shorter one might be-"

He was interrupted by the announcer, both of them frowning as 'The Champ' came gamboling out to the arena, hearing Videl let out an exasperated 'oh Dad' as he grabbed the microphone. Nozomi raised her eyebrows as he began talking about 'going easy' on her since she was a girl, and she felt Piccolo tense up. She elbowed him, watching him give her a slight glare, and she winked at him. The announcer finally got his microphone back, and gave a very short introduction for Nozomi, who started towards the arena for a moment before she stopped.

Turning around, she took off her medallion and handed it to Piccolo, who felt that same nearly indiscernible shift in her aura. He noticed the shorter of the two purple stranger's eyes widen at the same moment, and didn't like the calculating way he was now looking at Nozomi.

She walked towards the center of the arena, feeling like she actually missed this, and stepped up, tossing her hair off her shoulders as she walked fluidly over to her place on the platform. Her eyes were coldly fixed on Hercule, who was flexing his muscles at her, and then he turned to work the crowd some more. When he turned back, he grinned at her again.

"Don't worry little lady, I won't hurt you," he said, laughing, "I meant what I said."

"I'm not worried," she said softly, watching him look confused, "In fact, I doubt you'll be able to land a hit anyway."

"Oh feisty huh?" he grinned, "I like that."

The buzzer sounded, and Nozomi rushed in and landed a blow to the middle of his chest, sending him backwards about ten feet. She raised a brow as he got up easily, thinking that should have been enough to crack his sternum.

"So that's how you want to play huh? Okay," he said, rushing at her and looking shocked when she easily dodged his countermoves.

She wasn't attempting to land any hits, she was simply dodging his blows with what was obviously ease, waiting for him to become off balanced.

x

Videl was staring at the scene in front of her, recognizing that her father was truly trying to land a hit, while Nozomi's moves looked almost . . . lazy. She looked up at Piccolo, and saw he had a small frown on his face, and wondered why.

"Do you feel that?" Gohan asked, watching Piccolo nod, "What is that?"

"What does it feel like?" Piccolo asked, eyes narrowing.

"The drop in barometric pressure before an electrical storm," he replied, hearing Piccolo grunt.

x

Nozomi finally had her opportunity as Hercule made a clumsy move to punch her in the side, and she struck like a snake, sweeping his legs out from under him. Spinning around, she clenched her fist and pushed ki around it to create the appropriate friction to begin building up enough contained electricity to deliver a blow that would definitely make this arrogant ox of a man think about 'taking it easy' on her. She began the down stroke of her strike, feeling the crackle of what was essentially miniature lightning around her fist, seeing a true look of shock and awe on the Champ's face.

"Nozomi!"

Her fist landed next to his head, the electricity discharging up into the sky with a loud snap, and she frowned as the resounding peal of thunder shook the air. Narrowing her eyes at Hercule, she stood up, walking over to the edge of the platform and jumped down, ending the match.

Piccolo frowned at her, looking uneasily at the two strangers, who were both looking intently at Nozomi, "That would have killed him."

"I had it under control," she said softly, not seeing Videl looking at her warily.

Piccolo kept his mouth shut, handing her medallion back and wondering about the left shift in her aura as she had begun her attack, and was glad that she hadn't completed it. As it was, he was sure the man would probably be deaf in the ear on that side for at least an hour, and he was sure that he had seen a small burn on the side of his neck.

"I told you not to use that technique, it's too unpredictable," he said, deciding she needed to be reminded of her place.

"If I keep my ki around the charge, I can control it, I've told you that," she growled, "It's the same as the other elemental hand techniques. It's just not-"

"Used or even taught because it's dangerous in a combat situation," he growled, not looking as the Champ got up and worked the crowd, "What if you miscalculate and it hits one of your allies?"

"Because I can control it," she said lowly, looking at him, "And because I wouldn't use it in a situation where anyone was within twenty feet of my target and myself. I'm not stupid Piccolo, I **can **made calculations. Knocked you on your ass a few times."

Gohan bit his lip, glad Piccolo hadn't seen him.

"Because you got a lucky shot," he said lowly, "And because you're fast and flexible. I've lost count of the times I've put you on your back."

Vegeta snorted, making Nozomi glare at him.

"Touché," she said, nudging him in the ribs, "You're not going to critique me?"

"Why would I?" he asked, knowing why she was asking.

"Because that was lazy," she sighed, "And because I know it you're not going to mention it."

"Only time you can get away with it," he said, "I figured I could let it slide this one time."

"That just means you'll make me make up for it later," she groaned, catching Gohan's look at them.

She smiled and winked at him, and then motioned with her head at Videl, who was looking confusedly at Goku's halo. She met Vegeta's gaze and watched him roll his eyes as Gohan explained who Goku was and how he was there, and she chuckled. It didn't appear that their old rivalry was ever going to truly go away.

Her gaze was caught by a huge blimp, and they all proceeded to watch an edited version of the Cell Games, Nozomi trying to hold back her laughter at the costumed figures. Piccolo and Vegeta both looked livid, and at their faces, she lost it and began laughing hysterically, tears rolling down her face. Both of the men were glaring at her, and she stopped laughing with a small cough.

"I'm laughing because you're both so handsome in real life," she said with the small hope that the lame compliment would work.

Vegeta huffed, "I'll give you that, but next time you come to train, I'll remember today."

"Oh now I'm terrified," she quipped, watching Vegeta smirk.

Piccolo raised a brow, and then turned back to the Junior competition, which was getting underway.

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Next Chapter: The World Tournament gets underway, and long kept secrets are revealed.

A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates. Having a toddler and being a single worker mother is exhausting. Been going through a lot personally, with moving and ending a relationship, and work. Hoping to take time to indulge more in writing since it's more therapeutic than anything else I do. Hope you enjoyed!


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